


Of the Night

by strawberrylace



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Dark Comedy, M/M, Spooky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 24,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26132893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylace/pseuds/strawberrylace
Summary: As a vampire, Stephen Strange has lived many different lives in many different places. As a human, Tony is bored with the current life he's living in the same place he's lived all his life. A chance encounter at a bar brings the star-crossed lovers together as they begin a romance that is bound to destroy them before a powerful vampire beats them to it.
Relationships: Christine Palmer & Stephen Strange, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Karl Mordo & Stephen Strange, Stephen Strange & Wong, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 10
Kudos: 63





	1. 1900 (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Marvel vampire fic!! I already can tell that this is going to be a wild ride. Anyway, enjoy the fic!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm hoping this is somewhat historically accurate but otherwise, enjoy!

Stephen Strange tugged on the lapels of his dark grey coat as he walked home alone at night. He had been prepared for the rain that occurred earlier but the sidewalks were dry. Still, he clutched his blue umbrella in his hand, just in case it did start to rain. Keeping his eyes on the sidewalk, the cold chill breezed across his bare face, sending a shiver down his spine. It was a dark night and Stephen had not fed in days. The smells of every human that passed him were intoxicating, his mind dizzy from every personal scent that he could get a whiff of. He needed to control himself, for this was not the time or place.

For years, Stephen had been enjoying his quiet life in England. It had been such a long time that he had been on his own. For a better part of the 1800's, he had been traveling with a coven of vampires, aimlessly roaming around and taking in the ever changing world around them. However, when a crisis struck that put the three of them at risk, they decided that it was best that they split up. They wrote to one another, keeping tabs on happenings that occurred within other covens, as well as their own whereabouts. Most of the time, there wasn't a whole lot to report. Vampires, by then, had gotten better at keeping their anonymity close. But there were still perils they needed to worry about and when there wasn't a single vampire to be found within a 50 mile radius, the word had to spread one way or another. 

Stephen shut the door as soon as he reached home. The short walk back home felt longer than usual with everyone outside. All of those smells that were enough to drive him wild. Oh, how he could've caused a scene. But he managed to control himself and that was all he could do. He removed his dark grey coat, hanging it up in the closet and sat down in his chair. To his side was a stack of papers. On top was a letter he received earlier, but was unopened. He kept most of the lights on in his humble abode on low, just the way that he liked it. Perhaps it was destiny that he'd become a vampire, given a to how much he spent in darkness in his previous life. He certainly had no problem with adjusting to drinking blood when he was first turned. But in these times, he couldn't go around killing every single human that crossed his path. So he drank animal blood to keep him satiated. It wasn't the same but it was enough to give him strength.

Sinking into his chair, Stephen tore open the letter. It was from Wong, who was currently in Italy. It was a brief letter but the message was loud and clear: an old enemy of the coven named Louis was on the move once more and was headed to England, thus putting Stephen in danger. He read the letter once more but, unfortunately, he read it correctly. Stephen paced around the room for a bit. With Louis on the move, there was no way Stephen could be safe where he was. He needed to move, but where to? 

Stephen pulled his map out from his desk, spreading it out on the table. He kept it on hand to keep track of all the places that he traveled to so that he wouldn't go to the same place twice, just in case someone recognized him. He looked all over for potential places to go. At random, he closed his eyes and put his finger down on the map. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see where it landed. 

"Sweden?" he asked aloud. 

He had never been there but he couldn't speak the language. He figured he could learn it in no time, as he did with every place he found himself in. Not to mention, it was dark half of the year there anyway, so it was an excellent choice if he thought of one. He would have to write to his coven the moment he settled there. But first, there was packing that needed to be done.

The life of a vampire required minimal belongings. There was so much movement involved that they often tried not to get too attached to their homes. At most, they lived in the same place for a good decade or so, but very rarely did they stay put long, given how they appeared to mortals. For Stephen, his life could fit into two suitcases. Those were all the essentials he needed with him. 

When he finished packing everything, he looked outside his bedroom window. From a distance, he saw a large deer that had wandered it's way into his yard. It was a peculiar sight to behold but very welcoming. He licked his lips, opening the window, as he climbed out. He looked around and found that no one was in sight. Oh, how he thanked his lucky stars for such privacy he had. Standing just a few feet away, Stephen approached the animal as quietly as possible, but the close he got to it, the more ravenous he felt. He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into those juicy veins and taste that sweet blood. He was feeling more and more feral the close he got to the animal that it looked up at him with wide eyes as they were mere inches away. Scared, the deer ran off into the forest that was behind Stephen's yard. It managed to not go very far as Stephen tackled the animal down and mauled it. He sank his fangs into the animal's neck and sucked the life out of it, drinking every last drop of blood. He could feel himself getting stronger with every taste as he continued to drink up. When there was nothing left, he let go of the deer and wiped the blood that dripped out of his mouth with his sleeve. Luckily, Stephen lived near a forest so he was able to dispose the dead dear back deep in the trenches as he walked back over into his own yard.

After returning to his house, Stephen looked out the window and saw that the sun was starting to come up. He drew every curtain in his house and locked up every door. He retreated to his room and pulled all the covers up over himself. Tomorrow would be the start of a new day, Stephen thought. Tomorrow, he would begin another new life.


	2. Birthday Doughnuts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who has read my story thus far, thank you!! I have very limited knowledge about the New England area so bear with me as I try to maintain some accuracy with the setting. I'm not entirely sure when Tony Stark's actual birthday is but for this story, let's pretend it's in September! Anyway, without further ado, enjoy this chapter!

As soon as the opening guitar riff started, Tony rolled himself over to the side, slowly opening his eyes. He let the song play for a few more seconds before hitting the snooze button on his alarm clock. He lifted his phone up that was charging next to his alarm clock to see if there were any missed texts. He had two and figured he would get back to them later. He slowly sat himself up on his bed, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms out. He looked back at the clock. 7:32. He decided he might as well get up and start his day. After all, you only turned 30 once.

Tony Stark was actually looking forward to his birthday. Later in the evening, he was going to a rock show with his friends Rhodey, Steve, and Thor. He had been dying to see The Albertons for months and the one time they were coming to town, they were actually close. Normally when a band toured in the New England area, it was typically reserved for Boston and maybe a couple of other cities nearby. Nobody ever came to New Hampshire. But the fact that The Albertons were really coming to Manchester was truly a miracle in itself. Tony knew this would be a packed show but he was excited nonetheless.

Pulling the curtains open, Tony looked out his bedroom window of his condo. It was a foggy September morning and the sun was nowhere to be seen. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, absentmindedly looking at the clouds. Wasn't the weather he expected for his birthday, but at least it wasn't raining, he thought. He heard keys trying to open the door to his condo. Closing his curtains, he walked down the hall and saw his roommate return with a pale blue box in his hands. Setting it down on the kitchen island, Rhodey had a big smile on his face as he opened the box, revealing the colorful and plentiful doughnuts that awaited Tony.

James Rhodes, better known as Rhodey, had been Tony's best friend since high school. His family had moved into the house down the street from Tony's and from that point on became the best of friends. The two bonded over rock music, mechanics, and science fiction. They went their separate ways when they went to college. Rhodey ended up attending Boston University, studying politcal science and public relations, while Tony went on to MIT to study mechanical engineering. The two friends ended up moving back to Manchester once they had graduated finding jobs in doing what they loved. Tony ended up working as an engineer for his dad's company and Rhodey began working for an up and coming local politician, who would later run for mayor. When they started living together four years ago, they had decided on doing a birthday tradition for each other: they set up each other's alarm clocks to play Birthday by The Beatles and would bring each other doughnuts from the bakery down the street from their condo. It wasn't much but it was the little things that made their days without fail. 

"Are these?" Tony gasped, looking at doughnuts. "Are these Cake Baby doughnuts?" 

"Happy Birthday Stark!" Rhodey greeted. "Only the best doughnuts in Manchester on your birthday." 

"I love our birthday traditions," Tony mused, grabbing a sprinkled doughnut for himself. "Regardless of how crappy the day is, the morning always starts off right. In fact, I think we should start every day this way. Why only save it for birthdays?" 

"If we started every day with Cake Baby doughnuts, we'd be broke," said Rhodey, grabbing a custard doughnut. "Do you know how much a dozen costs? You could get like three dozen from Dunkin for the price of a dozen at Cake Baby." 

"But no one has doughnuts like these though."

"Not even at MIT?" 

"Hell no. MIT had nothing as good as these." Tony noticed the dark blue suit and crimson red tie that Rhodey was wearing. Rhodey had impeccable style compared to the ratty band t-shirts Tony preferred to wear, there was no doubt about it. Tony sometimes wished he could dress well without looking like he was trying to hard. "Aren't we looking sharp today! What's on the agenda for today?" 

"Oh, you know, campaigning for Trixie Danson never takes a day off," Rhodey smirked, brushing his shoulders off. "And I gotta look good as her campaign manager!" 

"You always look good," Tony smiled.

"Thanks." Rhodey put on a pot of coffee and stared hard at the cupboard. It opened up on its own and a floating coffee mug dropped into Rhodey's hands. Tony was always impressed with Rhodey's telekinetic abilities. A trait that had been passed down by his mother, Rhodey had kept this trait hidden from virtually everyone except his family and closest friends. The first time he showed his ability to Tony, they were 16. Rhodey was afraid that if Tony knew, he would've been branded a freak. Instead, Tony found it to be cool. From there, Rhodey was able to grow more comfortable with it around those who knew him best. But to the rest of the world, no one would ever suspect it. 

"You excited for the rest of the day?" Rhodey asked, pouring himself some coffee. 

"Why wouldn't I be?" Tony reached for another doughnut, an eclair. "Today's my birthday and I'm now 30, flirty, and thriving! Nothing can ruin this day. Absolutely nothing." 

"So you're totally okay with the fact that your dad wants to do a birthday dinner after work?"

Just as Tony was about to take another bite of his doughnut, he stopped and hit his head on the surface and let out a prolonged groan. Of course, this day was way too good to be true, especially when you had to go in and work for your dad's company. The relationship he had with his dad was complicated. Was there any love between them? Did his old man even like him? Those were questions that plagued him throughout his life. Thank god for his mom though, otherwise, growing up would've been more difficult. 

"Fuck!" Tony cried out. "I forgot about dinner tonight. Why does he have to do a dinner every year? Everyone knows it's all for show. Keep up with goddamn appearances and shit." 

"Should I come with?" Rhodey asked. "I bet I could flip the table over so you didn't have to suffer through Howard's constant berating." 

"Rhodey, I couldn't have you using your telekinesis for my benefit. But if you wanted to do something to the restaurant that would cause it to be temporarily closed for that evening..." 

"No, Tony, I'm not doing that," Rhodey narrowed his eyes. "C'mon, it's gonna be a great day! Not to mention, The Albertons are gonna kick ass tonight! You got this." 

"Yeah," Tony reluctantly agreed, knowing that once he left the door, things weren't going to be as great as the moment he woke up. "It's gonna be amazing, I guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want a doughnut now


	3. 21st Century Vampire Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: alright, time to do some research on vampires!!  
> also me: *rewatches the Twilight movies and What We Do In the Shadows and calls it research*
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!!

Stephen's eyes immediately flipped open on command as the alarm on his phone chimed. He tapped on his phone and rolled over in his bed. Nighttime. A peaceful but also rambunctious time, depending on how one looked at it. He pushed off the weighted blankets on his bed and stretched out. He looked back at his phone and checked for any messages. There was a reminder from Karl that they had a virtual coven meeting in 30 minutes. Stephen rolled his eyes and hopped out of bed. He poked his head out through the heavy velvet curtains to be sure that the sun was nowhere to be found. After he checked, he drew them back and let some of the natural light into the dark house. He looked back up at the dark night sky. The moon was half full this evening and the stars were bright tonight. Nights like these made Stephen feel at peace with himself and forget the monster that he was. 

Entering into his 200th year since he had been turned, Stephen was astounded by how the life of a vampire was constantly evolving as new inventions were created and advancements were made. At the time that he was turned, Stephen Strange was one of the most promising surgeons in New York City. One night, in 1820, he was walking home alone at night when he noticed that he was being followed by a man in a red velvet hood. He tried to ward him off but the man continued to follow him wherever Stephen went. The hooded man had him cornered in an alley and had attacked Stephen, leaving him die. Fortunately, he was rescued by two vampires, who carried him off to their home. From there, they fixed Stephen back up but there was so much venom in Stephen's veins that a choice had to be made: either change him or let him die. Stephen wanted to live and thus, it was decided. Wong and Karl changed Stephen that night and soon, they became a coven of three. 

It was a struggle for Stephen when he first became a vampire. The first decade was always the hardest for new vampires because the thirst for blood was insatiable. For Stephen, he was fortunate enough to have Karl and Wong there for him as they showed him the ropes on how to be a vampire. There wasn't exactly a manual one could read and it would be another 50 or so years before Carmilla would be written. Karl and Wong were vampires who fed on human blood and animal blood. To gain access to human blood, the two normally turned to a supplier who had access to blood banks. For them, it was a more humane way of obtaining human blood rather than kill people. Luckily for them, Stephen had worked in the medical field so he soon became their go-to supplier. 

After turning Stephen, the three vampires moved to Utica for about two decades, living in semi-anonymity in the woods. However, their lives were upended when there were reports of vicious killings in the area that threatened civilians and vampires alike. When it was revealed who was behind all these killings, Stephen was shocked to find that it was the same vampire that had left him for dead all those years ago. A vampire by the name of Louis Van Hoover. Feeling threatened, Karl, Stephen, and Wong moved to Canada for protection for the next two decades. But then, the three of them were compromised when they witnessed a young man being attacked by Louis, dressed in his unmistakable red velvet hood. The three of them tried to fight him off but he proved to be much too powerful. They even tried to save the poor man but nothing could be done as Louis had completely drained him. They realized that Louis could come after them all again and in a hasty decision, decided they all needed to go their separate ways. So off they went to Europe to different countries. For the rest of the 19th century, the three of them moved around all over Europe, maintaining as much contact with each other as they could while being separated. 

Life in the 20th century bode Stephen well. In 1900, after his time in England, he made his way to Sweden where he worked as a heart surgeon. He spent the next three decades there, the longest he had stayed in one place before deciding on going back to the United States, where he settled into Boston. He spent a decade and a half there before he received word that, once again, Louis was on hunt. He decided that he would move to Montana, where he found his life to be rather peaceful, but restless, nonetheless. After two decades there, he went out further west to California. There, he embraced the lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll for the next two and a half decades. It was a strange life he lived during that period, but admittedly a lot of fun. However, he grew tired of the constant drugs that were all over and he went up north to Seattle in the 90's, where he focused back on the medical field once more. A decade later, he migrated up to Alaska. Then, in the next decade, he moved to Vancouver. After five years, he then settled into his current home in Nashua, New Hampshire.

In his current life in New Hampshire, he was a well respected heart surgeon at Turner Hospital in the next city over. He lived in a small dark house that was secluded enough from the public and close to the forest. The house itself was painted black, but not by choice. When it was purchased, the previous owners painted every room a dark color. The realtor likened it to living in a dungeon. But that didn't matter, considering how important it was to keep their houses dark while they slept in the daytime. 

"Good evening," Wong greeted, as Stephen walked into the kitchen. 

"Evening," Stephen nodded as he poured himself a glass of deer blood.

Wong and Stephen reunited in the 90's by chance and from there, the two had been traveling together ever since. At 285 years old, Wong had been a sailor in his previous life. One night, a boat of vampire pirates, led by Louis, had taken over, killing all of the crew and throwing Wong overboard. Karl would be the one to find his body ashore, barely breathing. Karl asked Wong if he wanted to live and he said yes. Thus, a bond was formed between the two and it would be 50 years before Stephen joined their coven. After the three went their separate ways, Wong traveled to many different places, only staying in each place for five years tops. He took on a wide variety of jobs in his time, learning as many trades as he could. When he and Stephen reunited, he decided to study the medical field and went to med school. He would later graduate with high honors and become a hematologist. From there, Stephen and Wong would work side by side in the medical field.

"Did you get that reminder of Karl's coven meeting in twenty?" Wong asked, opening up the newspaper. "I've got my laptop so we can log I'm from there." 

"Yup, haven't forgotten," Stephen sighed. "I'm sure there's nothing to report. I mean, when was the last time we've heard anything regarding Louis?"

"Just because he's been dormant, doesn't mean we should let our guard down."

"Could it be possible that he's dead and we don't know it?" 

"Karl would've been told by someone from the Council." 

"Wong, it's been 75 years since Louis has come for us. At this rate, he's either given up on us or he's dead. Let's just get this meeting over with. This is not how I wanted to start my night off."

Wong rolled his eyes as he logged into his laptop, waiting for the video call to start. With the technological advancements made in the 21st century, communication between vampires and coven had become much easier than previous centuries. With social media, they could always keep in touch with another on a more regular basis then ever before. Not to mention, there were greater job opportunities for them working at night as well as remotely. As for blood drinking, scientists had found that coconut water had similar properties to blood plasma, which would allow vampires to develop a more vegan lifestyle than ever before. One thing that did remain constant was the existence of vampires. They were largely hidden and the Council was adamant on keeping it that way. 

"Good Evening!" a booming voice bellowed from Wong's computer screen. The man on screen was dressed in a tweed jacket over a burgundy sweater.

"Hey Karl," Stephen and Wong greeted, waving to the screen.

Karl Mordo was the oldest vampire in the coven. At 637 years old, Karl had mostly lived a solitary life. He never talked much about his life before being turned nor did he talk about his life before forming the coven. It was as if he was destined to meet Wong that fateful night, like he was meant to be a part of a close knit group of vampires. He was the eyes and ears when it came to news from other covens and the Council, always the first to know. He was resourceful and had a great deal of curiosity. In fact, he embraced his travels when the coven first split, for it reminded him of his days before the coven formed. During his time away, he had gone back to school numerous times to see just how many PhD's he could earn. Currently, he had ten and was now working at cancer research facility in London, specializing in blood research.

"HI Karl!" A woman's voice spoke up. The screen showed a chipper brunette woman smiling and waving excitedly. 

"Hey Christine," the three men replied in unison.

Christine Palmer was the newest addition to the coven. At 135 years old, she was once a nurse in Toronto when she came across Louis' path one evening in 1920. She was able to defend herself but Louis proved to be too strong and was left for dead. Luckily, Karl had found her and was able to bring her back to life. He and Christine became fast friends, traveling across Canada for the next 15 years, before they went their own separate ways. When Karl first told Stephen and Wong about Christine, they were worried that Karl was putting himself in danger by protecting this new vampire. But they had a great deal of faith in him that she was in good hands and let her know that she was welcome in the coven. Christine continued to work as a nurse throughout the rest of the 20th century, but decided that she wanted to pursue a higher education in the medical field. Now, she was a neurosurgeon in Dublin.

"Shall we get this meeting started?" Stephen asked. 

"Well, this is going to be another brief meeting," Karl sighed. "I've been checking to see if there are any clues as to whether our good friend Louis has been seen and based on what I've heard from the covens in London, they haven't been able to pick up on any traces." 

"Face it, Karl. That guy is as good as dead. My best guess is that sometime in the 60's or 70's he smoked too much hash and probably set himself on fire." 

Wong and Christine snorted at this comment but Karl remained unfazed. 

"What Stephen is trying to imply is," said Wong, composing himself, "is that perhaps we can cross London off our list of possible places that Louis might be hiding out. Have you thought about moving back stateside?" 

As nice as that would be, I've got a nice cushy job here with the research center. They just promoted me to head researcher and who knows? I could possibly be running the show very soon." 

"You certainly are the most qualified with your 10 PhD's," Stephen winked. "What about you, Christine? I'm sure we could find you an opening at the hospital." 

"But I like Dublin," said Christine. "I never thought that 100 years ago I'd become a neurosurgeon. I've got a great thing going over here. Karl, if you need me to get in touch with any of the Irish covens, let me know." 

"Thanks Christine," Karl smiled. "Stephen, Wong, anything to report on the East Coast?" 

"One of the Boston covens is looking to find more alternatives to blood plasma," said Wong. 

"As you know, with the recent discovery of coconut water having similar properties, they're looking to see if vampires can fully commit to a vegan life," Stephen added. 

"There's no way vampires can be fully vegan though," said Christine. "Partially, yes, but we need to have some form of blood to maintain our strength." 

"There's been rumors that one of the London covens is trying to produce synthetic blood," said Karl. "But I'd take that with a grain of salt." 

"Are we talking synthetic blood like in that show, True Blood?" asked Christine. 

"I guess," Karl shrugged. "But if anything, coconut water would be our version of synthetic blood." 

"Still, everyone that I know who drinks coconut water says they can't fully commit to a strict coconut water diet. It's just not realistic." 

"Science is advancing every day," Wong commented. "With our luck, we'll only find ways to improve our diets." 

"Wong is right," Stephen agreed. "Never in the centuries I've lived did I think we'd be making the advancements we're making today." 

"I guess that's everything," said Karl. "Not much else I have to say, other than I miss you all. Hopefully we can all meet up soon." 

"Come to Ireland!" Christine said excitedly. "You guys would love the Irish vampires I've met here." 

"Perhaps we should try to arrange a trip for our next coven meeting," Wong suggested. "What do you say?" 

"Well, there's not much to do here in New Hampshire and we are the only vampires here," said Stephen. "I guess I'll think about it." 

"Great! It'll be something to talk about for next week," Karl decided. "I'll continue to keep you guys posted on everything. Until next time." 

"Bye!" Everyone waved to the screen and then it went black. 

Wong closed his laptop and resumed reading the paper. He looked closely at the bottom text and then pulled the paper away from his face. He looked up at Stephen and smiled. Stephen didn't notice it at first but when he saw Wong's goofy smiled, he leaned back in his chair, confused. 

"What are you playing at?" Stephen asked. 

"You say there's nothing to do in New Hampshire," said Wong, folding over the paper in half, sliding it across the table. "I think I found us something to do!" 

Stephen looked down at the text and then looked back up at Wong. "Is this for real?" 

"Can you believe it? A band is actually coming to New Hampshire and it's only less than a half hour away from us!" 

"Oh my god, the show is tonight?!" Stephen almost jumped out of his seat. "Shit! The doors open in an hour!" 

"What?!" Wong nearly fell out of his chair. "Well, fuck! I thought it was tomorrow night! We better drink up before we go!" 

Like bats flying out of a cave, Wong and Stephen scrambled throughout the house getting ready for their night out on the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my brain is completely fried from trying to keep dates and timelines straight, I really need to start writing them down in a notebook.


	4. Soundcheck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! Long story short, life's been a bit busy. I had another idea for this but then I scraped it and went with this. I still don't know how I feel about it. But you guys can be the judge of it. Hope you guys still enjoy it!! As always, let me know what you guys think of it and thank you all for reading!

"So how did dinner go with Howard and Maria?" Rhodey asked Tony. 

"Dinner itself was quite good," said Tony. "Wish I could say the same about Howard." 

The two friends found themselves in a crowded concert venue in downtown Manchester. Established in 1970, Neon Castle was a concert hall that held at least 1300 people inside. On the outside, the venue's structure was that of a castle, with it's grandiose features. Inside, the venue was divided up by a main floor and a balcony. One of the biggest features inside was the ceiling that featured a beautiful mural that was painted 45 years ago, showcasing many historical figures of music such as Beethoven and Mozart. Many artists and bands from the New England area came out to this venue when they were first starting out, such as Ray LaMontange and Aerosmith. Other than that, not very many big names came out to the Neon Castle. 

Tony was sitting with Rhodey at the bar in the back. He was on the lookout for his other two friends to arrive, while listening to the opening band do their soundcheck. The rest of the day went just fine for Tony but once he got to dinner at the Italian bistro, he knew something was bound to go wrong. Maybe it was because his father had a less than stellar meeting with one of his biggest clients earlier that day or because he wasn't happy with the fact that the project Tony was spearheading was taking longer than estimated. It could've been something entirely different for all Tony knew. He just had a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that something was going to go wrong.

Dinner started off very normally. Conversation was light, but civil. The food was being served when suddenly... 

"So Tony," Howard began, "the Potts' sent us a Save the Date for Pepper's wedding."

Tony nearly dropped his fork. Pepper Potts was once his high school sweetheart and even dated well into college. But upon graduation, Pepper declared that she didn't want to settle for anyone and proposed that they go their separate ways. He was devastated by this and it took him a long time for him to get over it. She eventually met someone else when she moved out to London and was clearly happier with this man. It was a good thing, Tony thought. She deserved someone who made her truly happy. 

"What are you trying to get at, Dad?" Tony asked.

"I was just making an observation, that's all." 

"Right." 

"The picture was so lovely," said Maria. "Pepper looked so happy in the picture. I wonder who took their pictures." 

"It's too bad that it wasn't you in that picture with her," Howard muttered under his breath. 

"Oh my god, really?" Tony threw his hands up. "You're still on me about it? We ended things years ago! We weren't right for each other!" 

"You were afraid," Howard argued. "She was the best thing that ever happened to you and you blew it!" 

"Howard, please," Maria shushed.

"It was better I didn't put her through all that misery than to for her to wake up and find she made a huge mistake!" Tony raised his voice. "And you know what? Why should I listen to you? It's not like you've ever had any of my best interests in the first place." 

"Son, I've always had your best interests, but you've spent your time with your head in your ass, you don't know what's good for you anymore!" Howard argued. 

Tony wanted to lash back out at his dad, but he held his tongue. He knew when and where to pick his fights. He looked around at the rest of the patrons inside the restaurant. No one seemed to be paying much mind to them. He turned back around in his chair and continued to eat his dinner in silence. 

"So that's how the rest of dinner was spent," Tony concluded his story, taking another swig of his beer. "Thank god it wasn't worse." 

"I can't believe he brought up Pepper," Rhodey shook his head. "That was years ago! Doesn't he know you've dated other people since Pepper?" 

"Yeah, but it's Pepper he always brings up. The one that got away." 

"She didn't get away. You both knew it wasn't meant to be. Like you've said, it was best you both figured it out before making a terrible mistake." 

"That is true." Tony turned around to see a couple of familiar faces in the way back. He waved them over. "Thank god Steve and Thor are here because I need another drink." 

Rhodey turned around to see two blonde men making their way towards the bar. He waved at them, inviting them to sit. The short haired blonde, Steve Rogers, was an art professor at the University of New Hampshire. He took his seat next to Tony. The long haired blonde, Thor Odinson, owned his own bar called Asgard in Nashua. He sat right next to Rhodey. Everyone exchanged pleasantries and Rhodey ordered everyone a round. 

"Shall we make a toast to the birthday boy?" Thor asked, raising his beer bottle. 

"A toast!" Steve chimed in, clinking his bottle. 

"Cheers!" Rhodey raised his bottle. 

"Here here." Tony clinked bottles with everyone, a sheepish smile on his face. 

Everyone took a swig of their beers, Thor turned to Tony and asked, "So how is 30 so far?" 

"Started off great," Tony replied. "But Howard had to ruin it at dinner." 

"He can't help himself, can he?" Steve asked. 

"This time it was about Pepper and how I still managed to fuck things up with her," Tony shook his head, "even though it was an amicable split." 

"What prompted it?" 

"Pepper's getting married and her folks sent my folks a Save the Date card." 

"Did she send you one?" 

Tony narrowed his eyes. "What do you think?" 

"Fathers," Thor shook his head. "I feel you." He raised his bottle up and took a drink.

"See!" Tony reached his arm out. "At least someone gets it!" 

"All Howard talk is done," said Steve. "It's your birthday and let's just focus on that." 

"I'll drink to that," Rhodey agreed. "No more Howard talk."

"Besides, Tony, you're thirty now!" Steve put an arm around Tony and smiled. "This is an exciting time in your life! You're 30!" 

"But I don't really feel like I'm 30 though," said Tony. "You know, when we younger, we always thought that by the time we were 30, we'd have our lives together." 

"Nobody has their life together," said Thor. "No matter how much of a real adult you feel like, you'll never truly have it all together. Just ask my sister Hela." 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you ever wonder how things would've been like if you had done things differently? Like, what if I had gone and married Pepper after college? Would I still be doing what I'm doing now? Would I be still stuck in New Hampshire?" 

"Tony..." 

"I'm just saying, I feel like I haven't truly lived in my 30 years. I had dreams of traveling all over the world! I was going to go off and do my own thing, but instead I turned it down for the safest option. How sad is that?" Tony sighed, taking another swig of his bottle and setting it down. "I'm so bored of the same thing every day." 

"We all are but we're damned if we do and damned if we don't," said Rhodey. 

"Come on, Tony," said Steve. "It's not like excitement is going to just waltz right in and sweep you off your feet."

As soon as Steve said this, Tony turned around and saw a tall man walk right into the venue. Right then and there, Tony felt a sensation throughout his body. It was as if it was telling him, your excitement has arrived.


	5. Night Creatures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been watching nothing but vampire shows and movies these past few days so hopefully I'm doing something right with my research. Also, I know the chapter title is lame and but also, that's what vampires are?? I guess that's my logic?? Anywho, enjoy this latest chapter and let me know what you think!!

"I gotta say, if a place is called Neon Castle, you know the live music has to be good," said Wong, locking his car in the parking lot. "I mean, isn't that the case with all the best music venues, Stephen?" 

"Name sounds interesting," Stephen nodded. "I mean, it's no Rainbow Bar, but it's a cool name." 

Wong smirked. "I still don't know how you managed to survive all those years out West. I mean, all those drugs! The sex! The music! Wasn't it sensory overload? 

Stephen shrugged. "Not really, but I think I should've dipped out a few years earlier. Sunset Strip was crawling with vampires, rock stars, and groupies around that time. You couldn't tell who was actually undead during the 80's! Honestly, I thought Nikki Sixx was really a vampire when I first met him." 

Wong laughed. "I'm still convinced the majority of these rock stars from yesteryear are vampires. We just don't know it." 

Stephen could see up ahead a line had formed around the venue. He and Wong reached the end of the line, standing next to a couple of young, pretty, twenty-somethings who were giggling about nothing. Dressed in leather jackets, tight tees, and jeans, the girls glanced over at Wong and Stephen, eyeing them up and down. They were curious, seeing two incredibly handsome men who just happened to be standing right behind them in line for a show. The spiky haired blonde had her eyes set on Wong while the long haired redhead was watching Stephen very closely. Stephen blinked at the redhead but paid her no mind. Wong didn't even notice the blonde that bored her eyes into him. They were used to this sort of attention that came from humans. It wasn't anything new to them whenever they went out. 

As a vampire, there was a sort of glamour one had that only improved with age. Moments before being turned, the vampire blood pulses through the human arteries, revitalizing everything within the body and making them new. To the human eye, vampires appear so much more attractive than when they were humans. It was quite a shock for Stephen when it came to the way he looked to humans. It wasn't to say that he wasn't attractive before being turned. But the attention he'd get from humans was a bit strange for him at first. It would take him some time to be comfortable with this skin. At least until the 20th century. By then, his look was considered distinguished. With his soft, short, black hair, it took people by surprise when they saw the streak of white hair on his side. But it worked to his advantage for it had people guessing exactly how old he was. With how perfect his skin looked no one ever had to know his true age. To the human eye, he would forever be 35.

"Well hello handsome," the redhead greeted seductively.

Stephen glanced down at the redhead, an annoyed look on his He wanted nothing to do with her. His eyes flickered at the blonde who was trying to talk up Wong. They exchanged a look with each other and nodded. Steen looked back at the redhead and stared intently at her. Her eyes were focused on his piercing blue eyes and suddenly it looked as if she was under his spell. She stood up a little straighter and glanced back at her blonde friend. With a simple glance, the two women turned away from the vampires and let them be. 

"I hate when this happens," Stephen sighed, looking for a cigarette in his pants pocket but with no luck. 

"Our beauty is a gift and a curse," Wong commented, tugging on his black blazer. "Hasn't media taught you anything regarding human attraction towards vampires?" 

"Only that humans can be so pathetic, throwing themselves at us for the chance of eternal life. But at what cost?" 

"It's not always about eternal life. Sometimes it's about the sex." 

"How could I forget about that? Thanks, True Blood," Stephen replied, his answer dripping with sarcasm. 

"And you mean to tell me you're not always thinking about it the way that the media portrays us?" Wong asked, trying to humor Stephen.

Stephen shrugged. "I've had enough experience to know what I like and what I don't like. I like men and women. What I don't like is desperation. Simple as that." 

"This is why I avoid humans at all costs. Do they really have to be so annoying?" 

"Of course they do! Their brains have been corrupted into thinking they can love us unconditionally despite the fact that we have no capacity for human love."

"We're night creatures. It's as simple as that. Besides, do you know the field day Karl would have if we even entertained the idea?"

"I don't want to even think about it."

The line was starting to move a little bit faster. Once inside, Stephen and Wong looked around the venue. Despite being a tight squeeze inside, it was a rather nice venue. The show had not yet started so there was time for them to get a good spot. However, Stephen was feeling a bit light headed at the moment. The deer blood he drank earlier wasn't nearly as filling for him as desired. He knew he'd pass out in the middle of the show if he didn't drink something. But then he saw a bar in the back. 

"Hey, I'm gonna get a drink at the bar," Stephen announced. "You want anything?" 

"I'm good for now," Wong replied. "I'll find us a place to stand in the meantime. You'll find me?" 

Stephen nodded his head and Wong had disappeared into the crowd. There were so many people in this venue, Stephen couldn't help but wonder how this wasn't a fire hazard. Luckily, with his tall stature, he could pass through crowds quite easily as he made his way towards the bar. Once he reached it, he leaned on his side, hoping to catch the bartender's attention. The boucy brunette looked rather harried taking orders from a rambunctious group of college aged kids. He pitied her and made a note to tip her well. He looked over his shoulder. From where he was standing, he actually had a decent view of the stage. The opening act had finished up with their soundcheck and would soon start the show any time soon. Stephen thought he had heard someone ask him something but couldn't entirely hear them. He then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around.

"Hey, can I buy you a drink?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *heavy breathing*


	6. If You Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *knows that vampires can drink blood*  
> Okay, but what about alcohol?  
> Anywho, enjoy this latest update and let me know what you think!!

Tony looked at the tall man with the piercing blue eyes. Up close, he was so much more handsome than when he saw him from across the room. Just his luck that this handsome man would make his way over to the bar. At that point, Steve, Thor, and Rhodey went to find a place to stand to watch the opening act. Tony told them that he'd catch up to them, as he was still nursing his beer. 

Maybe it was the alcohol in his system or the fact that Tony hadn't gone out with anyone in almost a year, but there was something inside him that went into overdrive. There was a good chance it was all that pent up sexual frustration he'd been feeling and now here was someone so hot, he had to be held back physically in the off chance he did or said something stupid. But none of his friends were there to stop him so as soon as the mysterious stranger leaned his body against the far end of the bar, Tony knew that it was go time. 

Tony took a real good look at the mysterious stranger from behind. His hair was short and black, but he could've sworn he saw a white streak on the side. Was it on purpose? He wore a distressed denim shirt with some dark jeans. Tony's eyes couldn't help but linger to his ass and dear Lord, they were some tight jeans. Tony chugged the rest of his beer.

"Hey! Hey!" 

Tony called out to the stranger but no response. He looked to his side to see the bartender was now off on the other side of the bar, her attention focused on some college kids who had more than enough to drink. Silently cursing himself, he knew he wasn't going to get far from just sitting in his seat. So he got up and approached him from behind. Tony tapped him on the shoulder and the stranger turned around. 

"Hey, can I buy you a drink?" 

The tall man had a shocked look on his face and Tony was afraid that he assumed wrong. But then a small smile crept up on his face. 

"You want to buy me a drink?" he asked Tony. 

"Uh...yeah, I assumed that's what you're here for?" Tony was now second guessing himself. Had it been that long since he'd hit on someone? He couldn't have been this bad, could he? 

"Is that what you're here for?" 

Tony didn't know what to make of this guy. Was his sarcasm his way of flirting? Normally, this sort of behavior would've driven Tony mad, but from this guy, he knew it was a game he could play just as well. 

"Yes, I'm here for the wonderful overpriced PBR and cheep scotch," Tony replied with a smile. 

The tall man laughed. "Relax, you can buy me a drink. Sorry, it's just been a while since anyone's asked to buy me a drink. Thank you." 

"Tony. Tony Stark." 

"Stephen. Dr. Stephen Strange." 

Tony raised his eyebrows and his face lit up. Oh god, a hot, sarcastic doctor? Tony was fucked. A thousand thoughts were racing in his head that he almost didn't hear the petite brunette bartender ask him and Stephen what they wanted to drink. 

"What can I get you guys?" the bartender asked. 

"Can you get me an IPA and he will have..." Tony looked curiously at Stephen. 

"A glass of red wine," Stephen replied. 

Tony blinked, wondering if this was a joke. The bartender didn't bat an eye as she went back to get their drinks. After she left, Stephen noticed the look on Tony's face. 

"I'm...not much of a big drinker," Stephen admitted rather sheepishly. "And when I do drink, it's usually red wine." 

"Alright, fair enough," Tony nodded. He looked back at Stephen. The bartender was back with their drinks in no time. He was surprised to see that the bar even had wine glasses. Tony took a sip of his IPA while trying not to look like he was checking Stephen out. "So, Doctor?" 

"I really am a doctor," said Stephen, almost defensively. 

"I didn't say you were lying. I'm just surprised is all. Can't say I know too many doctors." 

"So I'm your first?" 

"You could say that you are." 

"What about you? What do you do?" 

"I'm an engineer. I'm sure you've met an engineer though." 

"Actually, I haven't, so you're my first." 

There was something dirty about the way Stephen said this and Tony couldn't help but notice this. He also couldn't help but notice the way people were staring at them. Actually, it was more so the way that people were staring at Stephen. It was a bit strange, to say the least. Like there was some sort of gravitational pull that he had on everyone around them. Perhaps it was the eyes. They really were quite hypnotizing with the way the blue looked in the light. 

Suddenly, the lights grew dim and the distortion of the guitars filled up the venue. The opening act had taken the stage. Tony and Stephen looked over from where they were standing, their heads bobbing along to the song playing while they sipped their drinks. 

"So what brings you here tonight?" Stephen asked. 

"It's my birthday," said Tony. "Came with some friends to see The Albertons tonight."

"Today's your birthday? Shit, I should've bought you a drink!" 

"Don't worry, it's on my friend's tab anyway." Tony winked. "What about you, Doctor? What brings you here?" 

"I was bored and my friend saw an ad for a show tonight so we figured, why not?" 

Tony smirked. "I like your spontaneity. I wish I were more like that."

"I'm not that spontaneous," Stephen murmured, taking another sip of his wine. "But enough about that. I wanna hear more about this birthday. How has it been so far?" 

"It's been good," said Tony, "certainly better than my 29th." He took a gulp of his drink and it was then he realized that he was no longer in his 20's. He was 30. "Still hard to grasp that I'm 30 though. Isn't that when everyone is supposed to have their shit together?" 

Stephen cackled. "I'm 35 and still question all my life choices on a daily basis." 

Tony's eyes widened at this admission. "Even as a doctor, you question your life choices?" 

Stephen cocked his eyebrow at Tony and took another sip of wine. "Everybody questions their life choices. Some of us are just better at faking it than others." Stephen then finished up the rest of his wine, setting down his glass on the bar and looked at Tony curiously. "Have you ever faked it?" 

Tony nearly spat out his drink. He knew it wasn't meant to be dirty but coming from Stephen, there were a dozen ways that could be interpreted. But the way he was looking at him, he knew there was one way to answer it. So Tony finished up his drink, setting it down at the bar with some singles tucked underneath and looked at Stephen in the eye and replied, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Stark! We've been looking all over for you!" 

It was just his luck that his friends would show up. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve and Rhodey were making their way towards the bar. Their shirts were sticking to them, visible sweat stains in certain areas. Steve's blonde hair was a mess and Rhodey had his jacket tied around his waist, showing off his toned arms in his tight grey shirt. 

"You're missing the opening act!" Steve exclaimed. "Have you been here this whole time?" 

"Yeah," Tony said sheepishly. "What's wrong with that?" 

"Just because it's your birthday, doesn't mean you can run the tab all night on my card," said Rhodey, flagging the bartender down. He then looked at Stephen, his brows furrowed. "Who are you?" 

"Hi, I'm Stephen," he introduced himself. "Apologies for keeping your friend from enjoying the show. How's the opening act? They sound decent." 

"Rhodey. As long as Tony's safe, you're good," he nodded, signing off on the tab. "The opener is okay. Steve here is only hyping them up because he's got a crush on the bassist." 

"I do not!" Steve protested, grabbing two water bottles from the bar.

"Does the bassist look like Bucky?" Tony asked. 

"Of course," Rhodey replied. "Even has the raccoon eyes and everything." 

"Oh my god." 

"Shut up!" Steve called out. "C'mon, we want to get a good spot for the Albertons!" 

"Stephen, there you are!" 

All four of them turned to see a man with very short black hair in a black blazer with a blue and white shirt underneath. He was quite handsome, Tony noticed, his brown eyes looked golden and warm. Stephen's friend gave Stephen a nudge and smiled. He then looked around at everyone else and waved. 

"Hey, I'm Wong. Enjoying the show?" 

"How's the opener, Wong?" Stephen asked. "I was just telling them they sound decent." 

Wong shrugged. "They're okay, I guess. Stephen have you been at the bar this whole time?"

"Well, I, uh..." Stephen stammered. It was the first time that Tony had seen Stephen look so flustered. It was a bit of surprise. 

"I'm the one to blame," Tony cut in. "See, I wanted to buy him a drink and we got so carried away in conversation that I lost track of time myself. Hi, Tony Stark." 

"Tony," Wong repeated, giving Stephen a knowing look. "How nice of you. Stephen, shall we?" 

"We should be getting back ourselves too," Steve said. "I'm sure Thor is wondering what happened to us and is worried." 

"Actually, I think he's doing fine without us," Rhodey pointed out the crowd. 

Everyone gathered away from the bar and towards the outskirts of the crowd. The music was much louder from where the five of them were standing. They couldn't believe what they were seeing: Thor was crowd surfing his way towards the back, hooting and hollering the time. It was a bit of a stumble to get him down off the ground but Thor was able to make it down on his two feet. 

"Woooooooohooooooooo!" Thor bellowed out. He looked around at everyone, a goofy grin on his face. "Where have you guys been?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised I managed to churn out another update so fast. My updating style is so inconsistent but that's what I get for having such an unusual muse!


	7. Almost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two updates in one day? best believe it folks!! hope you all enjoy it!!

Stephen and Wong were shocked to see that a man of Thor's stature was able to successfully be lifted and carried to the back of the crowd. Either he was light as a feather or the crowd was especially strong tonight. Still, the long haired blonde looked like a god compared to everyone else. Maybe it was the majestic hair or the way his red shirt sculpted his perfectly toned muscles. Either way, Stephen saw the way Wong was staring and it wasn't subtle. 

"Tony, are these your new friends?" Thor asked with a grin. "Hi, I'm Thor. Great show, isn't it?" 

"Was that? How did you?" Wong began to ask, looking at Thor and then looking back at the crowd. "Wow." 

"Need some?" Steve asked Thor, motioning the water bottle in his hand. 

"Oh yes! Thanks, I needed it." Thor gulped down the rest of the water bottle, crushing the plastic in his hand like a piece of paper. "Anyway, figured surfing would be easier to find you guys. So here I am!"

"Insane," Steve rolled his eyes. 

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not standing all the way in the back for The Albertons," Rhodey declared, turning to the others. "We going up there or what?" 

"Hell yeah we are!" declared Tony, who turned to Stephen, grabbing his hand. "Let's go!" 

Stephen was about to say something but was lead out into the crowd with Wong following right behind. Tony's hand felt warm, so human, Stephen thought. He wondered if Tony would notice how cold Stephen's hands were. He hoped not. Stephen was now close to the front of the stage and from where he was standing, he had a good view of the stage. It would be another few minutes before the Albertons would take the stage, give or take. The crowd around him was all abuzz for the headlining act, he and Wong could feel their energies.

Speaking of Wong, Stephen noticed him standing beside Thor, the two of them chatting it up. With Steve and Rhodey standing on one side of Tony, Stephen stood on his other side. He stole a couple of glances of Tony's side profile. The man had quite the jawline, there was no denying it. And that smile? It was perfection. One look at it and he could win anybody over. Maybe that's why he let Tony buy him a drink. Or maybe it was those deep brown eyes. Or just the fact that Tony Stark had a face like no other. And it was then that Stephen realized, he was fucked. 

"What are you staring at, Doctor?" Tony asked coyly.

Stephen slowly turned to Tony, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. He knew damn well what he was doing even time he called Stephen "doctor" and it was working way too well. And he was usually the smooth one too. He wondered just how good Tony tasted... 

"Nothing," Stephen lied. 

That was a close call, Stephen thought. God forbid he let himself get this close to a human and not show some form of restraint on himself. The band had taken the stage. They were quite loud and chaotic, reminiscent of the hard rock groups he'd see at the Whiskey A Go Go from way back. The Albertons were really good and everyone was having a good time.

It was halfway through the show and the band was playing their ballad. Most of the time, Stephen never cared much for when the band slowed things down. He watched the crowd sway along with the music. He looked back at Tony, who was deeply engrossed with the band and looked down at his hand. Oh, how nice it felt to feel something warm. His fingers lightly grazed the side of his thumb, hoping to be subtle with his touch. Without looking down, Tony interlaced his fingers into Stephen's. The both of them looked down and then looked up. There was something about the way the lights shone on Tony's face, accentuating his best features. 

"What are you looking at now?" Tony leaned into Stephen's ear, still holding his hand. 

"You," Stephen admitted.

Stephen could hear Tony's low chuckle in his ear. He smelled so good, Stephen thought. Like a warm cologne, sweat, and alcohol. The combination was dizzying, it made him feel lightheaded. But more importantly, he had to know how Tony's lips tasted. All he had to do was lean in just a little more...

But the song was over and Tony had slowly pulled his face away. Stephen silently cursed himself, wondering if he had blown his chance. However, he looked down to see that Tony was still holding his hand. He couldn't help but feel a tingly sensation in his body that pulsated all over. Then the music started back up, fast and loud. Tony started jumping up and down. It was quite cute to see how excited he was getting. Soon, they found each other singing along to the rest of the songs at the top of their lungs, dancing like no one was watching. Never had he felt so young and alive. This night was perfect. Well, almost perfect.

With the Albertons taking one last bow, the show was over. As soon as the lights went on, the crowd began to disperse and make their way towards the exit. Stephen couldn't believe that the night was over. He knew that for the majority of these people, they were definitely finished and would start their days once more in the morning. But not Stephen and Wong. It was technically still early for them, as they had a few more hours. He knew how he wanted to spend those next few hours and with whom. The question was, would Tony be willing to spend them with him?

"I'm exhausted," Rhodey sighed. "I'm so glad that I took tomorrow off." 

"You said it," Steve agreed. "I'm ready to be reunited with my bed." 

"Just your bed?" Thor asked, giving him a wink. 

"Sheesh, give me some credit, Thor. I still have a class in the morning." 

"Doesn't mean you can't fit in some time with a certain someone." 

"Actually, we've now established that he's going to go after the bassist from the opener," Tony joked. 

"Thanks guys. Real mature," Steve rolled his eyes. 

Tony then looked over at Stephen, a sort of love sick look on his face. Their hands were still interlocked. "What about you, doctor? Night still young for you?" 

The others turned to Tony and Stephen, noticing their hands clasped together. Thor didn't seem to mind at all, but Steve and Rhodey each had a puzzling look that told a different story. Wong's face was blank. Stephen couldn't tell if it was an approving look or not. Either way, he had certainly gotten everyone's attention.

"Would you like a nightcap?" Stephen suggested. "After all, it's only fair I buy you a drink for your birthday." 

"Only if it's not any trouble for you," Tony smiled goofily. 

"Don't you have work tomorrow?" Steve asked. 

"It'll just be one drink." 

"Are you sure Tony?" Rhodey asked. 

"I'll be fine," Tony assured him. "It's just a drink and I know how to get home." 

"Don't keep Stephen out too late," said Wong. "He's like Cinderella." 

"Oh, real funny, Wong," Stephen scoffed, knowing full well what he had meant by that joke. 

"Okay then..." Wong replied quietly, a look of suspicion on his face. 

Without another word, Stephen and Tony exited the venue, leaving their friends behind as they walked down to continue their evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will they kiss?


	8. Nightcap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me:*looking at my screen wondering why my fic won't write itself*  
> and that's the story of why it took so long for an update. apologies for the delay!! hope you all enjoy!!

Down the street from Neon Castle was a dive bar called Chelsea's. Inside, the walls were covered in an array of stickers, mainly those of bands. The floors were constantly sticky and no matter what time of day it was, the place was always dark. There was no Chelsea. The owner got the name from a girl she once dated and wanted to pay tribute to her. It wasn't the flashiest of places, but the drinks were cheap and that was what mattered most.

Sitting in the far corner of the bar, Tony and Stephen were nursing their drinks, talking about their professions, their friends, and music venues. 

"I still can't believe you've been to all these cool places and still had time to become a heart surgeon," said Tony, shaking his head in amazement. "I mean, how do you do it?" 

Stephen shrugged. "I guess I'm more spontaneous than I give myself credit for. There's only one life we live. Why not make the most of it?" 

"It's a good way to think of things. I think we need to remind ourselves of that more often then not."

"You'd be surprised at how many people play it safe all their lives." 

"I sometimes think I play it safe too often." Tony pressed the cold glass against his lips, thinking about the path he had taken to get him to where he was now. "But then sometimes I don't. More often than not, I think I'm just overthinking every decision I've ever made. I really gotta stop doing that." 

"You're not overthinking this nightcap, are you Stark?" 

Tony's eyes glazed over at Stephen's. They both knew well enough that they had quite a few drinks, but even before they started drinking, Tony knew there was an undeniable chemistry between them. The sparks had been electrifying throughout the show and if he could, he would take Stephen right then and there on that table. He wanted to take him home. Now. 

"Of course not," Tony replied. "But I am thinking of whether or not I should ask you something else..."

Stephen leaned in closer. "And what is it you want to ask me?" 

Tony leaned further in, his face just inches away from Stephen's. "I think you and I both know what I'd like to ask you." 

"Maybe I want to hear you say it..." 

Tony smirked. "Or maybe it's just better if I just show you..."

Closing the very small space that was between them, Tony pressed his lips against Stephen's and kissed him with great urgency. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but kissing Stephen made Tony's head swim. It was like an intoxicating high that he never wanted to come down from. Stephen's lips were so strong and firm. Sure, Tony had his fair share of good kisses and bad kisses, but this one was on a completely different level that he couldn't properly describe. It was unbelievable. It was almost too good to be true. 

Tony pulled away momentarily, cupping Stephen's face. He hummed and said, "Come with me."

Tony had no clue how much time they had spent at the dive bar, but it was late. It had to have been at least 2 in the morning. Work was going to be a bitch tomorrow morning. He hoped that Rhodey wasn't still up waiting for him. On the cab ride back, Tony's fingers ghosted over Stephen's hand. It felt so icy cold. The ride back to Tony's place was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. He looked over at Stephen, studying his side profile and still drunk on their kiss. He couldn't wait to bring Stephen inside. 

After tipping the driver handsomely, Tony and Stephen hopped out of the cab and went inside Tony's building. As he fumbled with his keys, Tony felt Stephen's lips against his neck.

"Are you going to invite me in?" Stephen whispered warmly against Tony's neck. 

Tony chuckled. "If you must insist, doctor, would you like to come in?" 

"Since you're so kind as to invite me in, I'll gladly accept." 

Stephen pushed himself into Tony as the both of them stumbled through the door and into the entryway of Tony's condo. Hands all over each other, they fell over onto the couch and proceeded to make out like a couple of love-struck teenagers. It was intense and passionate and everything was going so well until... 

"Wait," Stephen pulled away from Tony. "Where's your bathroom?" 

"Down the hall on your left," Tony replied. 

"Okay." 

Tony laid there on the couch as Stephen went down the hall. He heard the door close. As Tony waited, he wondered what else was going to happen tonight. He'd hopefully ask Stephen if he'd like to join him in the bedroom. Then what? Would they have sex? Maybe. Soon, Tony's eyes started to get heavy. He tried to lift up his head but he was getting very sleepy. This was not how he wanted to end his night. He had to fight to stay awake. He could do it. He could do it. He could... 

There was a loud blaring noise that was going off in the room that jolted Tony up. He sat up on the couch, looking around the room in a daze. He felt his phone in his pocket and looked at the time. He couldn't believe that it was daylight. He had no time to get ready. As he went down the hall and to his room, it was then he realized that Stephen was gone. There was no way that Stephen could've seen him passed out on the couch like this, could he? Tony flopped down on his bed face down and groaned loudly in his pillow. So much for turning 30.


	9. About Last Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a good reason why Stephen skipped on Tony last night...  
> Enjoy the latest chapter and let me know what you guys think!! As always, thanks for reading and the support!!!

Just his luck to not pay attention to the time. As soon as Stephen excused himself, he had five texts from Wong asking where he was. He looked at the time and realized he needed to get back home now. Just his fucking luck. If he skipped out on Tony, he'd look like a dick. But if he told Tony the truth, he'd laugh him out of his place. It was a lose-lose situation, regardless. He washed his face in the sink and tiptoed quietly back into the living room. He looked down on the couch to find Tony passed out, sleeping rather peacefully. It hurt Stephen to have to do this to Tony, but there was no other choice he had. He only hoped that he'd have a chance to explain himself. 

Stephen hailed himself a cab ride home. He was cutting it real close to sunrise by the time he arrived. Wong was not awake by the time he entered their house. There would be some words from him come nightfall. He made sure to double check the house to make sure no light could come through. Closing the door to his room, he shut all the curtains and buried himself deep in the sheets as he drifted off to sleep through the day.

"You look like shit," Wong commented. 

Stephen narrowed his gaze at Wong, gritting his teeth. He felt like shit as well. Stephen tossed and turned, feeling guilty for what he did to Tony. It was a new feeling for him. Vampires weren't supposed to get attached to humans and there were many examples of why this was the case. So why was he feeling this way about Tony? 

"Thanks, I feel fantastic," Stephen responded sarcastically, shuffling through his paperwork. There were forms that needed to be filled out on Stephen's end before he performed a surgery in 30 minutes. Wong was hanging by in Stephen's office at Turner Hospital to kill some time while waiting for some blood work results from the lab. 

"You know what I mean," Wong rolled his eyes, thumbing through the stack of papers absentmindedly. "I've never seen you this hung up on someone before after spending one night with them." 

"I'm not sure we can call it 'spending the night' considering I bailed out by the time he woke up." 

"But the two of you were looking very much like a couple last night. Still, in all the years I've known you, I've never seen you get this hung up over anyone! Let alone a human." 

"Think of the field day Karl would have if he knew." Stephen hit his head on his desk and groaned. "Wong, what is wrong with me? Have I gone soft? Have I forgotten who I am because a guy with the face of a devil has bewitched me?" 

"Maybe he is the devil in disguise," Wong suggested. "Look, if you really find yourself feeling guilty, just text him and explain why you had to leave late in the evening. What's the worst that could happen?" 

"Anything could happen." 

"Just send him a quick text before surgery! I gotta go back to the lab for some results. I'll come around after the surgery, is that cool?" 

"Sure thing." 

Wong left Stephen's office, shooting him two thumbs up for support before turning down the hall. Stephen powered through the rest of the forms. He had 10 minutes to kill before he had to go prep for surgery. He looked at his phone he had on the corner of his desk. Turning it on, he scrolled through his contacts until he found Tony's number. 

Stephen stared at the number intently, thinking of what he'd say in the text. But then he wondered if he should text him about last night. It seemed too informal. Calls were better but in this day and age, did anyone do calls that much? 21st century living was so complicated sometimes. He practiced in his head a few times of exactly what he was going to say. He shut the door to his office and hit the dial button on his phone. He listened to the phone ring, secretly hoping that Tony wouldn't pick up, in case things did happen to get awkward. After four rings, it went straight to voicemail. Once he recorded it, he hung up and made his way down for surgery.

The surgery was a success. After consulting with the family on the patient's well-being, he returned to his office to see if Wong was waiting for him. He came back to an empty office. Shutting the door, he looked in his mini fridge for his bottled animal blood for a well deserved drink. He was nearly finished with his drink when he felt a buzz in his pocket. Without looking at the contact name, he answered. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey, it's Tony. I got your message."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's super short, but I hope to make it up with a longer chapter for the next one!! Also, yes, I am winging it regarding surgeons and hematologists.


	10. The Pain or The Hangover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to post another one after that short chapter and I really hope I delivered!! As always, let me know what you guys think of this chapter. Thanks again for sticking around and reading!!

Tony felt like complete shit the entire day. He knew he shouldn't have had that much to drink last night. He wasn't the young foolish college student he once was with the ability to bounce back from any hard night of partying and drinking. No, he was an adult that got massive hangovers, which lasted well into the next day and sometimes the day after that. He felt like death and was really paying for it.

He knew it was going to be a rotten day when he saw that Stephen skipped out.Tony wondered what happened that made him leave. It was going so well between them. Did Tony say something? He tried not to think about it as there were other things to worry about, such as showing up to work on time and not looking like a hot mess. Tony managed to make it into the office on time. However, it wasn't until he got to the office that he realized the shirt he quickly changed out of had a rip in the back.

To make matters worse, Tony completely forgot that he had a an important meeting regarding the project that he was spearheading. The medical group that was collaborating with Stark Industries were coming in to see the prototype of the model that Tony and his team were creating. Northman Health tapped Stark Industries to develop a machine that would help with blood transfusions. Tony begged to be a part of this project. He wanted to prove to his dad that he was ready to lead, stating that he had many successes with previous projects and was more than capable of taking the reins. And who knew? Perhaps it would lead him to other opportunities, potentially outside of Stark Industries. So Howard agreed. It was unfamiliar territory for Tony, working with a medical group and all, but he had a lot of confidence in the team he was leading. It was a solid group of engineers with a great deal of experience, so there wasn't much to worry about who he was working with. But the project proved to be rather difficult. Deadlines had to be made and everything had to be executed just right. Howard hated that it was taking so long, but Tony didn't want to screw this up. It just happened to make things difficult when Howard had to have things his way. After all, he wasn't the only one who Tony had to worry about. 

Tony could've sworn that the meeting was next week. His head was throbbing. It felt like his brain had been replaced with rocks, it felt so heavy. When Tony walked into the conference room, he made the mistake of making direct eye contact with all of the big wigs that were in the room, awaiting for his arrival. Of course, the one person he tried to avoid eye contact with the most was Howard. He knew that he would have his game thrown off under the intense watch of his dad. Not that he had much game to begin with going into the meeting. But he tried to stay as focused as he could. Tony could fake it as best as he could to look like he wasn't still hungover but so long as he didn't flub his words. After all, he knew after the meeting, Howard would want to have a few words with him.

"And once the meeting was over, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief," Tony recounted the story at dinner. "I don't know how, but I did it without looking like a complete fool."

"So Northman Health was impressed?" Rhodey asked. 

"They liked what we had to present to them and we're pleased with how I answered their questions. I'd say it was mission accomplished." 

"Was Howard proud of you when he took you aside?" 

Tony scoffed. "The day Howard says something remotely close to those words will be the day hell freezes over. He said the company liked what we had to present. I mean, I guess I'll take it." 

Rhodey shrugged in agreement."So what did you do once all that was over?" 

"Oh, I slept under my desk because up until now this hangover has been the death of me. So that was nice."

"See, now that you're 30, you can't drink like you used to when you were in your twenties. It feels like death the next day." 

"I don't know what's worse, the pain or the hangover. Maybe both?" 

"I'd say both. Sounds about right. Wonder how Stephen is doing today." 

Tony got quiet for a moment before he opened his mouth. "Wouldn't know. He wasn't there when I woke up."

"Maybe he realized he had something in the morning?" Rhodey guessed. 

"I haven't heard back from him all day. I really thought that...I don't know, we had a spark or something." 

"Did you even try to text him to see what was up?" 

"No, because I thought that'd make me desperate." 

"Oh my god, you really are bad at this, aren't you? Dude, just send him a quick text and see how he is. If he doesn't say anything, just cut your losses and move on." 

Rhodey cleaned up the dinner table while Tony went in his bedroom. He checked his phone to see he had a voicemail and listened to it. 

"Hey, it's Stephen. Doctor. Listen, really sorry I had to skip out on you last night. Completely forgot that I had surgeries the next day and well, that's what I'm doing now. Give me a call back. As long as you're not pissed at me. Otherwise, I get it, but I figured I'd explain myself. Okay, bye."

Tony felt a great relief overcome him. It wasn't anything that he did and Stephen didn't completely ghost him. He felt silly for worrying about it. So now he wondered what to do next. The answer was pretty obvious but he had figure out if whether he'd call him back or text him. Text was always easier but the words weren't always conveyed in the right context. Plus, Stephen did go through the trouble of calling. It was better for him to give him a call back. 

Tony dialed the number and waited for Stephen to pick up. He needed to keep his expectations low in case he got Stephen's voicemail. But then he started to wonder what he'd say if he was sent to voicemail. Before he could panic, the other line picked up.

"Hello?" Stephen answered. 

"Hey, it's Tony. I got your message." 

"Hey!" Stephen's voice perked up. "I'm glad you called. I'm really sorry for last night. Completely forgot I had sugeries all day today. I wanted to say something, but you were passed out when I got out of the bathroom. You looked so peaceful on the couch that I didn't want to wake you. But I really should've left a note and I'm sorry." 

"Hey, it's alright," Tony replied genuinely. "It happens and I do appreciate the call. Sorry you had to see me passed out like the hot mess I am. Really had to pay for it today at work." 

"Hopefully it wasn't too bad for you. I mean, I did have a good time with you last night." 

"You did?" Tony asked shyly. 

"I did." Stephen paused. "I was hoping to see you again this weekend if that's alright with you." 

"You want to see me again this weekend?" 

"There's this club by my place in Nashua and this electronic duo is performing there Saturday. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me there?" 

"I'm very interested indeed. What time should I meet you there?" 

"I'll text you tomorrow about everything." There was some inaudible talking that was coming from Stephen's line. "Ah, shit. I gotta bounce. They need me down in the OR. Damn, the one time I get a free moment to myself, but I'll text you?" 

"Of course," there was a goofy smile on Tony's face. "Go save some lives, Doctor." 

Stephen chuckled. "And I'll be seeing you, Stark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I'm always self projecting my music taste into every fic I write


	11. An Old Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! New chapter is here and I hope you all enjoy it!!

"Can you be honest with me for a minute?" Stephen asked. 

"You looked ridiculous that time you dressed like Eddie Vedder in the 90's," said Wong, not looking up from his book.

"Excuse me?" 

Wong set his book down on the bed and looked up at Stephen, who was pacing around nervously in his bedroom. "I can be honest with you. What's up?" 

"Is this a bad idea?" Stephen asked, fidgeting with the buttons on his jacket. "I mean, do you think I can keep up with this charade long enough before Tony gets suspicious?" 

Wong paused for a moment and shrugged. "It's not a terrible idea, but it certainly isn't a smart one either. I won't tell Karl, if that's what you're worried about." 

"I'm not worried about that," said Stephen. "I think I just needed to be assured that I'm not a complete fool." 

"You've always been a complete fool. Do you remember when you were first turned?" 

Stephen chuckled. "I was such an idiot at the time, thinking that I had all of the answers. You and Karl only wanted to help me, but I was too blind to see that." 

"Everyone is like that when they are first turned, but you've learned. Granted, you still make stupid choices from time to time, but you learn." 

"So is this a stupid choice I've made going out to see Tony?" 

"If this is what your heart wants, who am I to say anything? So as long as he doesn't get too suspicious about who you really are, you should be fine. Just try not to do anything else stupid." 

"Give me some credit, I could do worse." 

A coy smile crept on Wong's face. "Must I remind you of our time in Utica?" 

Disgruntled, Stephen cried out, "Enough Wong!"

After changing his jacket twice, Stephen finally left the house and drove over to Ruby Red's, a bar and club in downtown Nashua. Just a few blocks away from the place, Stephen parked the car and took a leisurely stroll. He had about ten minutes to spare and the night was clear, but brisk. After his talk with Wong, Stephen was feeling slightly more assured of himself and tonight. He'd gone this long without any human figuring out what he was, so why was he worried? He had this.

"Excuse me?" 

Stephen jumped and turned around to find a slender man in a deep red jacket and fair blonde hair. He appeared to have green eyes from what Stephen could see from the street light that he was standing under. A warm smile hinted that he had no reason to be feared. 

"My apologies, good sir," the stranger spoke. Stephen could've sworn his accent was British. "But I was wondering if you knew where Corry Street was? I'm supposed to be meeting a friend for dinner and have been going down every street for the past 10 minutes."

"Oh, you keep going down two more blocks and it should be on your right," Stephen replied. 

"Why, thank you, good sir," the stranger smiled politely. He looked carefully at Stephen carefully and pursed his lips. 

"Is that all?" Stephen asked, trying not to sound rude. 

"Apologies, you just..." the blonde fellow paused for a minute. "You look rather familiar. One would say you have an old face of someone I once knew." 

Stephen didn't know how to respond to this. He had been alive for over 200 years and, even in his past life, no one talked like this. 

"Have good evening, sir," The blonde fellow bid farewell. 

Stephen nodded his head and watched the strange blonde man go in the other direction. It was a strange interaction but thought little of it as he walked into Ruby Red's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this rate, all my chapters are going to be short. But to make up for it, that means there will be a lot of chapters the more I draft out my ideas for this. Hope that's okay with everyone!!! Again thank you for reading and let me know what you think!!


	12. Noble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the name of the chapter is so meh, but i hope that this chapter isn't!! thanks again for your continued support and for reading!!

Tony found Rhodey laying down on the couch absentmindedly trying to make the coffee table in their living room float. A rerun of a cooking show was playing in the television but Rhodey paid no attention to it. He was covered with a heavy midnight blue blanket, wrapping himself up so that only his face showed. Yesterday, he had a campaign party to attend for Trixie and ate some mini calzones that did not sit with his stomach come morning. Tony had spent the better day caring for Rhodey, getting him Peptobismal and making him chicken noodle soup. Rhodey was on the couch since this morning and was very bored. He was certain he had seen this episode and was now trying his hand at seeing just how high he could lift this coffee table with his mind. From where Rhodey was laying, it had just reached over his head.

"Can you smell if I put too much cologne on?" Tony asked, leaning over against the couch. 

Without breaking his concentration, Rhodey took a whiff and shook his head. "As long as you're not wearing Axe Body Spray." 

"Gross, what are we, fifteen? This is a doctor we're talking about! Gotta smell like I'm a moderate success."

"That's probably what Kennedy Smith thinks he smells like."

Tony chuckled. The coffee table was slowly put back where it belonged as Rhodey sat himself up on the couch. "So what's the name of the band you guys are seeing?" Rhodey asked.

"They're called Hazelnut Spread," Tony replied. "The name is a bit...strange, to say the least."

"Sounds lame," Rhodey commented. "It's like they just couldn't figure out a name for their band, so they saw the first thing in their pantry which was a jar of hazelnut spread." 

"Oooh, you know what? We should form a band called Almond Butter and then release an album called The Peanut Butter Incident. Then we go on tour with Hazelnut Spread and from there? We can take over the world!" 

Rhodey snorted. "That's meta. But aren't you forgetting that time we tried to start a rock duo our junior year? That lasted a good two months before we decided that we sucked."

"But we tried at least!" 

"Happy Hogan hired us for his birthday party and we got booed off the stage." 

"Technically, we got booed out of the garage, but we tried!" 

Rhodey laughed, shaking his head. "You should go. Don't want to be late for that big date of yours."

Tony took a deep breath. "I'm nervous. What if I get completely blitzed like the last time?" 

"Stay hydrated, dummy. If you do that, you'll be fine and I won't have you sleeping next to me on the couch when you get home."

A half hour later, Tony was sitting at the bar with a whiskey sour in his hand, waiting for Stephem to arrive. It would be any minute now he'd see that dashing doctor walk through the door. To say that Ruby Red's was a club was a bit of a loose description, from what Tony could make of the place. It had been a popular club in the 70's and 80's but was more along the lines of a small music venue by today's standards. Not to mention, everything in here was so dark, Tony could barely see anything without having his phone light on. He felt a cold hand touch his back that made him jump in his seat. He turned to see it was Stephen. He looked even more handsome than when Tony last saw him, dressed in a charcoal button down shirt and dark pants. His hair looked quite good in the sort of "messy bedhead" sort of way. 

"You scared me," Tony gasped, clutching his chest.

"Sorry about that," Stephen replied sheepishly, his hand running through his messy hair. "Didn't think this place would be this dark." 

"You've never been here before?" Tony asked curiously. 

"I've heard of it but can't say I've been in here," Stephen replied, sitting next to Tony. He then flagged the bartender down to order his drink. "Anyway, I hope I'm not too late. Surgery took longer than expected." 

"You're good." Tony couldn't help but feel his heart flutter hearing Stephen talk about surgery, knowing that this was a man who was physically making a difference in the world. "So surgery, huh?" 

"A triple bypass nonetheless," Stephen sighed, as he took his drink, a glass of merlot. "My patient, he had a bit underlying health problems before the surgery and this was basically a do-or-die situation for him. He's recovering fine but those sort of things are never easy for me. By now, with how long I'd been in the medical field..." Stephen looked down at his glass for a minute, quiet. "It doesn't get easier, is what I'm saying. Even after all of the advancements in medicine that's been made, you're still bogged down with the responsibility of someone else's life."

"I can't imagine what that must be like," Tony said quietly. He looked down at the ice cubes in his nearly empty drink, trying to find the right words to say. "But you're in a noble profession, I think. It takes a great skill to be able to do what you do."

"That's very noble of you to say," Stephen finished off his drink. Tony could see that Stephen was smiling, but hiding it inconspicuously behind his glass. "Would you say that your work is noble?"

"Depends on who's asking," Tony replied. "My work is just work. But we've recently partnered up with a health company called Northman Health to develop a prototype for blood transfusions." 

"The Swedish company, Northman Health?" 

"You've heard of it?" Tony's ears perked up. 

"I've heard they were partnering up with a high profile company to help develop medical tools. I didn't know that it was Stark Industries?" 

"Yup, my dad fought tooth and nail for that partnership and now I'm the team leader on developing the prototype. It's too soon whether to call what I'm doing noble just yet. Managed to get through my first big presentation in front of the company without passing out because I was so hungover that day. But, for all they know, I've yet to prove that what my team and I can make can be great."

"If you believe in your team and they can see you have the potential to lead, what do you have to be afraid of?" 

"Not that you'd know but being the son of the owner of the company isn't exactly a walk in the park." Tony ordered himself another drink. He had to keep in mind his alcohol intake. He could also hear his friends judging him in his head for bringing up Howard. "When everyone found out that I was named team leader, there was a lot of talk around the office. I was prepped for this, all my life. It's my destiny to one day take over the company, but this project could really make or break me. It's bad enough finding Howard's approval is as hard as they come by." 

"Shit." Stephen's second glass of merlot was served to him and he took a gulp of it. "So your dad is an asshole?" 

Tony nodded. "Big time. But like I said, if you want the full story on Howard, I'm gonna need the whole bottle to tell you that and I'd like to try to be somewhat sober for this." 

"It's alright," Stephen reached his hand out. Tony felt the iciness of Stephen's hand pulsate through Tony's warm hand. 

Tony looked down at Stephen's hand and smiled. "Your hand, is it always this cold?"


	13. Bad Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically, I had no idea where I was going with this story, thus why there hasn't been an update in days, so I'm really sorry for that. I still hope you enjoy and let me know what you guys think as always. Thank you!

Stephen almost didn't register the question when Tony first asked him. It took a moment for him to realize what was asked. The first thought that popped up in his head was whether or not Tony knew. But then he remembered that it was next to impossible for anyone to know. There was absolutely no way that he could know. So there was no reason to worry, right? Stephen was certain that he wasn't the only person in the world to have naturally cold hands. Obviously besides vampires, but that wasn't the point. The point was anyone could have cold hands. It didn't mean that Tony could possibly think that he was in the presence of a vampire. No, it was impossible. The more Stephen thought about it, the more he was finding himself second guessing just how good he was at keeping his secret. Tonight was not the night to be worrying about this. But now Tony was looking at him, waiting for him to answer the question.

"I have really bad blood circulation," Stephen lied convincingly. 

"Ah," Tony nodded, seemingly accepting the answer.

Just then, Stephen could see the crowd was starting to gather around the stage. It was his and Tony's cue to go on over to see the band. It was shocking how cramped everybody was when he and Tony found a place to stand while they waited for Hazelnut Spread. Everyone was pressed up against each other and the body odor was quite potent, particularly from those who neglected to apply deodorant beforehand. 

A statuesque redhead dressed in a sparkly green leotard walked up to her keyboard. She was followed by another tall woman with short pink hair, who sat down at her drum set. The crowd was starting to get excited and Stephen could sense the vibrations coming off the audience. Once the first notes filled the space, everyone's excitement was kicked into high gear. Song after song, Hazelnut Spread were a ball of high octane energy that just didn't stop. No ballads to slow the crowd down and they, in turn, showed no signs of tiring out. It was all loud and fast, taking Stephen back to his days on the Sunset Strip. He couldn't help but laugh at Tony's moves. They weren't the worst, but they certainly weren't good either. Stephen didn't know how he missed this at the last show. Nonetheless, he laughed it off and thought of it as Tony's way of getting into the music. After all, it wasn't like he had better moves either. They were both pretty bad dancers and it wasn't like anyone was really watching them anyway.

It was nearly midnight by the time Stephen and Tony left Ruby Red's. The brisk chill was a stark contrast from the humid venue inside. It was a clear, tranquil night, with all of the stars visible. Stephen liked those kind of nights, but what he liked even more was holding Tony's warm hand. The two of them walked for a bit downtown, just up and down a couple of streets, and relished in the stillness of the late night. Stephen found himself stealing glances at Tony every now and then. They were both quiet on their walk. It was a comfortable silence between them, an experience that Stephen hadn't felt in such a long time. He liked this a lot. 

"Hey!" Tony pointed up to the neon green sign. "Do you mind if we stop in here?" 

Stephen looked up at what Tony was pointing at. Asgard. He had heard about this place. He remembered Tony mentioning that his friend Thor owned the place. Funny how he had heard of the place but had not once been in. But then again, there wasn't a reason for him to go in the first place. 

"Sure thing," Stephen smiled. "As long as you're up for another drink."

Tony gave a sly smile as he pulled Stephen into the bar. Much to Stephen's surprise, Asgard was actually a lot cozier than the outside suggested it to be. It was very dimly lit inside and there were a handful of people sitting at the bar and the tables nearby. Up at the bar was a rather tall and thin man with longish jet black hair. He was rather handsome, albeit the look on his face would say that he was a friendly man. Next to him was Thor, whose hair was pulled back into a blonde ponytail and was serving drinks to two women up front, when he saw Tony and Stephen approach him.

"Hello my friends!" Thor greeted. "So nice of you to stop by! Please, take a seat up in front!" 

Stephen and Tony sat right in the middle of the bar, with just enough space from everyone else that was sitting near them. When Stephen went to sit down, he noticed something unusual to his left. At the very end sat the man that Stephen had bumped into prior to the show. Oddly enough, he was alone. But rather than focus on that, he turned his attention to Thor, who had just asked what he wanted to drink. 

"I'll have a merlot, please," Stephen replied.

Out of curiosity, Stephen turned his head back towards the end of the bar but found that the man from before had disappeared. He didn't understand why he was so concerned with it, but there was a lingering feeling that not everything was alright. Still, he fought the urge to question and just enjoyed the rest of his date with Tony as well as his drink. 

"So where did you guys come from?" Thor asked. He looked closer at the two of them and saw that Stephen and Tony were looking rather sweaty. "Let me guess, you went to show?" 

"Just got out of Ruby Red's," said Tony. "Saw this band called Hazelnut Spread. They weren't that bad! Tight squeeze though." 

"Two shows in a week? Well, aren't you guys lucky!" Thor turned to Stephen. "And what about you? What were your thoughts on the band?" 

"They were good!" Stephen answered. "Surprised with how good they sounded live. You know how it gets with some acts." 

"That's always the worst," Tony sighed. "There have been a few bands I've seen who can barely play their instruments live and it's like I've wasted all this money when I could've just stayed at home and played the album at high volume." 

"You mean Van Halen? Ugh, especially the early years, with all the distortion and the vocals. It's basically like listening to nails scratching a chalkboard." 

"Van Halen is not that bad live." 

"Oh really? Were you there in 1978?" 

"Were you?" 

Stephen really was there, but he wasn't going to admit it. "I've heard the bootlegs to know." 

Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Mr. I Know Everything About Rock Music."

"You know I'm right though," Stephen winked. 

"You don't always have to be right, Doctor." 

Stephen silently cursed himself. Tony knew damn well what he was doing, calling him Doctor. Oh, what he wanted to do to Tony right now. All the foul and dirty things he wanted to do to him. What he really wanted to do to him, more than anything, was to taste him. He bet that Tony tasted really good, like nothing that he had ever had before. The possibility made his head spin and his mouth salivate. And Tony was looking really good tonight, all sweaty and hot. A million thoughts spinning in his head and of course, all signs pointed to him running the risk of exposing himself for what he really was. For a doctor, he could be so dumb at times. But he would be careful. He wouldn't leave him like the last time. No, he knew what he had to do so that everyone would get what they wanted. And Stephen was absolutely certain that Tony wanted the same thing. 

"Hey," Stephen leaned in and whispered into Tony's ear. "You want to go back to my place?" 

Tony slowly turned his head, his eyes dark with lust. A devilish smile crept on his as he replied, "Yes."


	14. Shock and Horror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around with this story!! As for my new readers, welcome and hope you like the story!! I really hope I did this latest chapter right. Considering this is a vampire story that's also a comedy, I'm hoping I balance things as best as possible. Let me know what you all think!! Thanks again and enjoy!!

It was a dark drive to Stephen's place. When they got to the place, it was not what Tony expected it to look like. First off, Stephen lived near a forest, which felt super isolated from the rest of civilization. But then again, sometimes havibg no neighbors was a good thing. Second, it may have been because it was nighttime but Tony could've sworn that the house was pitch black. He had never seen a house painted black and wondered if that was on purpose. If the outside was weird, then Tony wondered just how normal the inside looked. That is, if the inside was even remotely normal.

Tony was led down the hall the moment he stepped inside. He didn't look around to see if there was anything unusual about the inside for his eyes were focused on the back of Stephen's head. A door opened. Tony stepped inside and it was shut behind him. He felt his back against the wall as Stephen caged him in with both arms. He could smell the intoxicating cologne on Stephen's neck as the space between them closed in. Their lips just barely ghosting over one another as Stephen leaned into Tony's ear. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Stephen whispered. 

"Yes," Tony breathed.

Tony noticed an intensity in Stephen's eyes, like there was hunger that needed to be satiated. Tony's breathing hitched as Stephen leaned in once more. Suddenly, Tony found himself needy as Stephen kissed him. It was a passionate kiss, so hot and wet, as the two of the pulled away from the wall and fell down on the bed. Stephen kissed and sucked on Tony's neck, leaving marks all over, and before they knew it, they were stripped from the waist up. Tony hazily traced a finger down Stephen's chest, admiring how toned his torso was. His head was spinning now, wondering if this was all some fantasy. He felt his pants unzip and soon he was becoming more bare. 

"Are you sure about this?" Tony asked. 

"Absolutely," Stephen nodded. "Are you?" 

"Of course." 

With that, Stephen slowly got down on his knees while Tony sat up on the bed. He then tilted his head back and let out a heavy sigh, reveling in the great pleasure that overcame him...

The next morning, Tony's eyes opened wide as he laid still in bed next to Stephen. Last night was truly one of the best he ever had. Everything about it was so hot, so passionate, that just thinking about it gave him a bit of a rush. He looked over at Stephen. He was out like a light the moment they crawled into bed. Not once did Stephen swing his arm over to cuddle with Tony, but then again, Tony wasn't super big on cuddling either. He looked over and saw that Stephen's arms were crossed together as he laid there on his back. Tony wondered why he slept like he was in a coffin. Definitely a strange way to sleep. 

Tiptoeing out of bed, Tony grabbed his clothes and quickly got dressed. He kept looking over his shoulder as he tried to be as quiet as possible. He checked his phone for the time. If he booked it, he'd make it back home in time to shower and get brunch with Steve. Had it not been for this prior engagement, he would've stayed in bed with Stephen. Oh well, he'd understand, Tony thought.

Tony closed the door and walked down the hall. On his way out, he thought he heard a heavy door slam shut. His head turned but there was no one in the hall. He then saw a door at the end of the hallway opening on its own, as if it was inviting Tony to take a look inside. Curious, Tony stepped over into the doorway and found himself looking into a dark room. He flipped the lights on and found a mostly empty room. The most disturbing thing of all was the coffin that was inside the room. 

"What the fuck?" Tony whispered to himself. 

Of all the things that were strange about Stephen's place, this was by far the strangest thing. He knew it wasn't his place to be snooping around but he would be damned if he didn't want to figure out exactly what was inside that coffin. He had hoped it was nothing and it would put his mind at ease. While the Doctor was very good in bed, Tony didn't want to discover that Stephen was some sort of secret psychopath. He opened up the heavy lid with all of his strength. What was revealed was a pale face covered up in a blanket of black velvet, with red eyes and sharp fangs that let out a loud and long hissing sound. 

"FUCKING SHIT!" 

Tony slammed the coffin shut and ran out of the room, down the hallway, and bolted out of the house. He scrambled to get himself into the car, fumbling with the keys, as he sped out of the driveway and floored it all the way home. 

As soon as Tony got home, he shut the door and just slid down as he sat on the floor, his back against the door. His heart rate was now beginning to go back to normal, his breathing not as erratic as when he was in the car. His ears perked up when he heard Rhodey come out of his room. 

"Tony?" Rhodey called out. He walked over to find Tony sitting perfectly still on the ground with his back to the door. His head cocked to the side and frowned over Tony's state of being. "What are you doing? You look like you saw a ghost."

Tony looked up at Rhodey with panic in his eyes. He knew what he saw and if anyone would believe him, it had to be his best friend. 

"I saw something horrible on my way out of Stephen's," Tony responded hoarsely. "I can't explain it but...it was awful." 

"What was it?" Rhodey knelt down next to Tony. 

"Rhodey, what I'm about to tell you may be the craziest thing I've ever said so before I tell you, I need you to let me know that you'll believe me, okay?" 

Rhodey paused, wondering just how insane this was going to be, and nodded. "Alright. What did you see?" 

Tony took a couple of deep breaths before he revealed the shocking sight. "I woke up and left Stephen's room. I'm walking down the hallway and I hear a loud noise. Then I saw a door open and, I'll admit it, I was curious, I checked out what was inside. I go in the room and there's this big coffin in the middle. I open the coffin up and it was Wong. Only his face looked super sickly and his eyes were red and he had these sharp fangs for teeth...Rhodey, I think Wong is a vampire." 

Rhodey blinked. Tony couldn't tell if Rhodey believed him or not. He had a really good poker face on. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke up. "Wong is a vampire?" 

"Yes," Tony nodded. "I know it's crazy. Hell, I think it's crazy but I know what I saw and I saw fangs. Fangs, Rhodey! The only logical explanation is vampires! Stephen is friends with a vampire, how could he not tell me that?" 

"Because you guys have only gone out twice," Rhodey explained, trying to be reasonable. "Do you think I'm rushing to tell my dates about my Carrie White abilities?" 

"Fair," Tony sighed. "But Rhodey, what do I do? I'm sure Wong is going to say something to Stephen. Just my luck after the best sex." 

"Then talk to him about it. I'm sure he can explain things." 

"But what if he doesn't? What if for some odd reason he is able to make some really good and elaborate lie to cover it up?" 

"Then you'll have to find good dick elsewhere." 

Tony groaned as Rhodey got up off the floor and helped Tony up. As they walked into their respective rooms, Rhodey stopped at his door and turned to Tony. 

"Well, think of it this way, it's not you discovered that Stephen is a vampire!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *looking at my own writing* oh snap what's gonna happen next???


	15. The Big Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not how I initially pictured they would reveal themselves as vampires but hopefully you all enjoy it!! Let me know what you guys think and thanks for reading!!!

"YOU DID WHAT?" 

"I thought it was you!" 

"What do you mean you thought it was me?" 

"I thought you came in to tell me that he left! I didn't think he would actually walk in and look in the damn coffin!" 

"Oh my god..." 

Stephen was royally screwed. After Tony left, Wong was in a panic over being woken up that he sprang free from his coffin and woke Stephen up to let him know what had happened. Stephen wasn't so much mad at Wong for exposing himself as a vampire. He was more upset with the fact that Tony had to find out in the worst possible way. At this point, Tony was bound to tell someone and once word got around, there would be dire consequences. 

"I'm fucked," Stephen grumbled. "We're fucked. What do we do?" 

"We tell him," said Wong. "You'll have to tell him." 

"Are you crazy? After everything we talked about yesterday? I can't tell him! What about what Karl and Christine would say? They'll have a field day with this!" 

"Maybe it won't be so bad!" Wong was really trying to find some sort of silver lining in this, but he knew it was futile. "Oh god, why did I have to scare him like that?" 

"It's alright," Stephen sighed. "It's your basic instinct. I just really hope he isn't going to try to burn us alive or something. Hell, that wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to us." 

"Stephen, you have to tell him. Once you do, then we can figure out what to do about Karl and Christine. All I know is that it won't be pretty, but they deserve to know the truth." 

"Fine," Stephen rolled his eyes. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this, considering how good the sex was." 

"I know." Wong narrowed his eyes at Stephen. "Why do you think I went to the coffin last night?"

It was an uncomfortable phone call to make but much to Stephen's surprise, Tony answered. He was willing to see Stephen and Wong this evening on the condition that it be at Tony's. They agreed and were on their way over in no time. When they both arrived, Tony answered the door with a tired smile on his face. Stephen and Wong glanced at one another, worried at just how much Tony knew. Nonetheless, they were invited inside and they sat down in the kitchen area with Tony and Rhodey. There was an awkward silence among the four, as they waited for someone to talk first.

"I guess we should explain what you saw at our house this morning..." Stephen started, clearing his throat. He looked over at Rhodey. "First things first, who knows what you saw?" 

"Rhodey's the only one who knows," Tony replied. "And yes, we probably should talk about...the coffin." 

"Yes, the coffin. Listen, there's something that you need to know about us." 

"Us?" Rhodey and Tony said in unison, perplexed looks on their faces. 

"I really was hoping that this would be avoided altogether, but alas, here it goes..." Stephen opened his to reveal his teeth. In an instant, a pair fangs jutted out and his identity as a vampire was revealed. He didn't realize that Wong had done the same. He looked at Tony and Rhodey, who just sat there with stunned looks on their faces. It was just the look that he figured they would have, Stephen thought. 

"In case you couldn't tell," said Stephen. "We're vampires." 

"Oh my god, you're both vampires?" Tony looked as if his mind had been blown. "I thought that it was just Wong!" 

"Nope, we're both vampires," Wong repeated. "And guess what? You two are the first humans we've ever told this to." 

"That can't be!" Rhodey shook his head. "Actually, let me ask you guys this, how old are you?" 

"I'm 235 years old," Stephen answered. "I've been a vampire for 200 years."

"And I'm 285 years old," said Wong. "I've been one for 250 years." 

"How many others are there like you?" Tony asked. 

"You'd be surprised," Stephen smirked. "There are a lot of vampires that live among humans. You just would've never expected to have met one." 

"So do you guys drink human blood?" Rhodey asked. 

"We don't," Wong answered. "We drink animal blood or coconut water. Of course, to appear human, we drink red wine at the bar." 

"That would explain a lot," Tony nodded. "But are you really a doctor?"

"Yes, I really am a doctor," said Stephen. "Almost everywhere I've gone in my time as a vampire, I've worked in the medical field. Well, except for when I went to California in the 60's through the 80's. That was just self-indulgent debauchery." 

"God, I wish I was you." 

"So do you guys have a little group of vampires that all hang out together?" Rhodey asked. 

"We like to call it a coven," Wong replied. "We have two other vampires in this coven, Christine and Karl. Both of them live in Europe and we have teleconferences with them regarding any happenings within the vampire community. It's important that we stay updated on each others lives, especially as we travel all over." 

"So you guys have been to a lot of places?" 

"So many. As a vampire, you live so many different lives that the longer you live, the more they just start to blend together. Even before I was turned, I had traveled around the world as a sailor. But it's amazing to be able to watch as the world turns right before your eyes. It's a bit sad that you have to look at it from the dark though."

"It must be lonely." 

"It can be, especially now with so many of us vampires scattered throughout the world. One of the wonders of being a vampire in the 21st century is staying connected with everyone so easily. Saves so much on paper and postage, especially when you had to move from place to place all the time!" 

"So now that we know, what are you going to do to us?" Tony asked hesitantly. 

"And you two are the only ones who know?" Stephen asked. 

"Yes," Tony and Rhodey nodded their heads. 

"Well, we have to tell our coven members that our presence is exposed. Our coven leader, Karl, will probably have some words but if you're worried about us killing you, rest assured we won't do that. It doesn't seem right that either of you should be at the mercy over what was clearly an accident and you don't pose any threat to us whatsoever." 

"Well that's good to know," said Tony, feeling relieved. 

"But you may get a visit from the other coven members, just be warned," said Wong. "So while we don't do anything to you, it has to be decided among the coven what happens to you two." 

"Oh god, don't tell me you two are going to try to hypnotize us or try some mind control bullshit if it doesn't go through with the coven?" Rhodey guessed. 

"We would have to wipe your memory clear if it were to be the case, but we're hoping it's not. At least, that's what I've heard is the best case scenarios with vampires that have exposed themselves to humans." 

"Fantastic," Tony said sarcastically.

"Stephen, we really should get going," said Wong. "I believe you have a surgery later this evening." 

"Of course," Stephen replied, excusing himself from his seat. "We should get going. Thank you both for inviting us and we are terribly sorry for all of this." 

"I should be the one saying sorry," said Tony as he turned to Wong. "I shouldn't have disturbed your slumber but I am grateful you didn't kill me." 

"All is forgiven," said Wong, "and may I add that I deeply remorseful for giving you such a fright. As you may have read in various popular novels, you know how we value our sleep during the day." 

"Of course." 

"We will keep your secret with us and hopefully you take that into consideration with your coven," said Rhodey. 

"Absolutely," Wong smiled.

While Wong and Rhodey headed towards the door, Stephen pulled Tony to the side so the two of them could be alone just for a moment. 

"I imagine this must be a lot for you to process," said Stephen. "Believe me, this would've been a lot easier for me had I not started to feel some sort of attachment towards you. And I can understand if you don't want to see me again, but I am grateful for you and Rhodey allowing Wong and myself to give us a chance to explain things. However, if you do want to see me again, you know where to reach me. Otherwise, I will leave you be." 

Placing a soft kiss on Tony's hand, Stephen turned and showed himself out the door with Wong. They walked down the street in search of their car, when something caught Stephen's eye. It was almost like he had seen a flash of red just pop out from behind the bushes and then disappear in a blink. This wasn't mind tricks, was it? 

"Stephen, you alright?" Wong asked. 

Stephen looked around once more for the flash of red. "I'm fine," he lied, as he stepped into the car.


	16. Unexpected Guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading this everyone!! New chapter is here. Let me know what you guys think!!

"So that was interesting." 

After the vampires had left, Tony and Rhodey found themselves sitting on the couch, watching a football game while drinking a couple of beers. They still didn't know what to make of what had just gone down earlier. For the most part, they were relieved that they weren't going to become vampire food. But there was a tiny part of them that found it so strange that vampires were real. 

"What?" Tony asked. 

"The way they sat us down and told us everything," Rhodey said. "I mean, it sucks they may want us to forget all about their existence but if it means not getting killed, it can't be that bad, right?" 

"At least we won't get killed for finding out. And I guess it's good they don't drink human blood." 

"I don't understand how that possible though. That's the thing that makes you a vampire though. If you can't drink human blood than what's the point?" 

"Ethics?" 

Rhodey thought about this and nodded. "Good point." 

"Rhodey, is it stupid that I still want to see Stephen? Be honest." 

Rhodey bit his lip and thought it over. He studied Tony's worried face before he gave an honest answer. "It's foolish, considering the implications and all but who am I to judge? Stephen seems like a really good guy and if you like him, by all means, go crazy. But if he tries to eat you, I would seriously hope that you go buy yourself some stakes."

With a reassuring smile, Tony said, "Thank you."

Later that night, Tony found himself lying awake in bed, tossing and turning. Suddenly, there was a tap on his window and Tony sat straight up in his bed. He got out of bed and drew open the curtains. He found nothing out of the ordinary and figured that perhaps it was just his imagination. After all, he had a busy week of work ahead of him with his project. Before he closed the curtain, he spotted something from afar. From the corner of his window, he could see some shrubbery. In that shrubbery, Tony could've sworn he saw something red disappear into the bushes.

For the next couple of weeks, Tony was fully immersed in working on the model for Northman Health. It had completely taken over his life. So much so that he found himself spending the night at his desk just so he could stay on schedule. Fortunately for him, he was more than ahead of schedule and by Friday, the first prototype was ready for show. The representatives of the company were amazed and impressed with what they saw. Tweaks needed to be made before it was ready for beta testing, but otherwise, the model was perfect.

As for his personal life, Tony thought about what Rhodey had said to him and ultimately decided to still see Stephen. It was risky, to say the least, but there was a strong pull that Tony couldn't resist. The heart knew what it wanted, simple as that. Rhodey was supportive but also cautious, for he had been reading up on everything on vampires to mentally prepare himself for the worst. Still, there was no bad blood between him and Stephen and they knew it meant Tony a lot that the two of them got along. Steve and Thor had no idea that Stephen was a vampire and decided it was best to keep that under wraps for the time being. However, Tony had a sneaking suspicion that they knew there was something different about Stephen.

It was a Saturday night in early October where everyone's schedules seemed to align with one another. It had been a while since everyone had a free night and since no one wanted to go out, they figured a night in with some good food, good drinks, and bad movies was the best way to unwind. Everyone was gathered at Tony and Rhodey's condo. Rhodey, Wong, and Steve were engrossed in a deep conversation on one end of the room while Stephen and Thor were having a laugh on the couch. Tony was mixing drinks in the kitchen as he watched his friends intermingle. He had never felt more content or more successful than in that moment. Things truly couldn't get much better than this.

Just when that thought crossed his mind, Tony heard a knock at the door. He figured that the delivery person was there with the takeout. It was good thing too because he was starving and needed something to go with all the beers he was drinking. He pat his pants pocket for his wallet before he answered the door. 

"Oh thank god you're here!" Tony said with relief. "I was starting to think-" 

He stopped himself when he saw that it wasn't the delivery person at the door. There were two people, a man and a woman, dressed in dark blue clothes. The woman wore a smart and sophisticated long sleeved pantsuit and black boots, with her black coat tucked underneath her arm. The man wore a thick sweater with a white collared shirt underneath and dark jeans. Tony wondered if perhaps they were travelling salespeople but then again, who would be going door-to-door at this hour? 

"Good evening," the man cleared his throat. "I'm Karl Mordo and this is my colleague, Christine Palmer. Is this the Stank residence?"

"This is the Stank residence!" Rhodey called out, followed by a roar of laughter from the mainly intoxicated group inside. "This is where Tony Stank lives!" 

Karl looked down at the card that he was holding in his hand and his eyebrows went up, realizing his error. "Apologies! It should've said Stark. My writing isn't always the best at times. Is this the Stark residence?" 

"It happens," Tony responded quietly, feeling slightly embraced by his drunk friends. "I am Tony Stark. What can I help you with?" 

"I believe you may know why we are here today." Karl peered over at what was going on inside. He then motioned for Tony to come in close as he whispered in his ear. "This is in regards to our friend, Stephen. I believe that he has talked to you about the concern of our existence."

"Oh!" Stephen had kept Tony in the loop on the whereabouts of his coven but nothing had been formally discussed. He didn't realize they were going to be coming over and with Steve and Thor around, this was about to get slightly messy. "Yes. Yes, he did talk to me about this. Actually, he and Wong talked to Rhodey and I about it. I wasn't sure when-" 

"Karl?"

Tony didn't notice that Stephen was now standing next to him as he was just as surprised to see his coven members had arrived. Just then, Wong was standing with him, also confused by this unexpected visit. 

"Karl," Stephen repeated himself. "What are you doing here?" 

"We came to find you," said Karl. "We were supposed to have our coven meeting to decide what we were going to do with the humans. We were going to tell you that we decided not to wipe their memories but then we came across something when we got to your house..." 

"Hey Tony, who's out there?" Rhodey called out. "Invite them in!"

"Oh, uh, is that such a good idea?" Wong hesitated. 

"You might as well," said Christine. "What's two more people who know vampires exist going to hurt us?" 

Karl groaned. "Tony, can you please invite us in?" 

"Karl, Christine, would you like to come in?" Tony asked. 

"Yes, thank you." 

Karl and Christine stepped inside and looked around at was inside the condo. They said nothing and Tony was now starting to worry as the two vampires approached his friends. 

"Hey, who are they?" Steve asked. "Tony, what's going on?" 

"Are these friends from work?" Thor asked. 

"Good evening, gentlemen," Karl greeted everyone. "We have something very important to tell you." 

"Dude, what the hell is going on?" Rhodey asked, starting to look worried. 

"Stephen, Wong, what the hell is going on?" Tony hissed. 

"Seriously, we have no idea!" Stephen tried to reason. "I'm just as surprised by this as you are!" 

"Gentlemen," said Christine. "It is very important that you must know that you are all in grave danger. For there is a murderer on the loose."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What an ending, am I right?


	17. Backstory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated this story in forever. I knew the backstory on Louis was going to eventually come up so here it is! Hope you guys still enjoy it!!

The pit in Stephen's stomach when Christine said that everyone was in danger grew to the size of a boulder. It was a fear he had hoped would never come true. It wasn't as if he had forgotten all about it, but rather he had hoped it was over. He had always kept the thought of him at bay, trying not to overthink it so much. But just when things were starting to get really good for him, it was now unraveling and even worse, he put the lives of mortals at an even greater risk. 

"We're in danger?!" Thor jumped out of his seat. "Stephen, why are they telling us that we're in danger?" 

"Is no one going to tell us who these guys are?" Steve piped up. 

"Karl," Stephen whispered, gesturing at Steve and Thor. "These two don't know who you and Christine really are." 

"Then let me handle that," Karl cracked his knuckles as he stared deep into Steve's eyes. Steve looked into Karl's darkened eyes and found himself getting rather sleepy. His head was then slumped over and was fast asleep. Christine did the same to Thor as he was out in an instant. They pulled the sleepy men out of the room and put them in Tony and Rhodey's rooms. Tony shot a look of annoyance at Stephen that asked if all of this was really necessary. Of course it was necessary, but an argument wasn't something Stephen wanted to get into at the moment. 

"See, that was easy," Christine shrugged. 

Rhodey was befuddled by what had just happened and he needed to say something. "There's a murderer on the loose and you just put our friends to sleep. Would you two mind what the hell is going on?" 

"Apologies for the lack of introductions," said Stephen. "Christine and Karl are members of our coven, coming to us from Europe. They were here to tell you both that they decided to not erase your memories. But we couldn't have the other two knowing." 

"They'll be out for a couple of hours and once they wake up, they'll have no recollection of the events that transpired upon our arrival," Christine explained. 

"The less people that know, the better," Karl added. "Surely you can forgive us for such haste." 

"I guess?" Rhodey questioned. 

"We need to get back to the more pressing matter," Tony spoke up, "which is the fact that there's a murderer on the loose. Should I start setting up a security system in our condo? What sort of person are we dealing with here?" 

"I'm afraid that he's no man at all," Karl shook his head, before turning to Stephen and Wong with a grave look on his face. "Gentlemen, he has returned." 

"What?" Stephen's worst fears were realized as the pit in his stomach cemented him to the floor, unable to move. 

"That can't be," Wong whispered. "He's at least 1000 years old, maybe more! This must be a mistake. No one has spotted him in decades!"

"I wouldn't make light of something we've spent hundreds of years keeping an eye on," Karl said gravely. He turned back to the humans. "Gentlemen, what we're dealing with is one of the most powerful vampires to live. I'm afraid that he has come here to wreck havoc. You see, Louis Van Hoover is actually over 1100 years old. Vampires don't live to be at least a century years old by playing nice. In his human life, he was a viking prince. But one night, vampires came down upon his village and murdered so many villagers. He sacrificed himself in order to save his family and was then turned. The vampire vikings ruled with an iron fist for many years. However, Louis found out that his family had not been spared like he was promised. Paranoid with what may have happened, he was led to believe that it was someone in his group that had killed his family. So Louis planned out a feast for the vampire vikings, unbeknownst to them that he had poisoned everyone's drinks with the blood of a diseased horse. The group had fallen ill. With everyone passed out, Louis locked the rest of the group in the house they were settled in and set the place ablaze." 

"My god," Tony gasped. "He killed all those vampires? Did he think it was going to bring his family back to life?" 

"He didn't kill all of them," Karl continued. "There were at least three vampires that weren't there that night. When those three found out what had happened, they all decided to leave on a voyage, never to return again. They traveled to all of the ends of the Earth, keeping a watchful eye on who they came across. They did this for hundreds of years. The travel got hard on them so they settled in England in the 1500's for some time. Which is where they met me."

"You?" Everyone was stunned to find this out. 

"But how?" Wong asked. 

Karl paused for a moment. "I had been alone almost all of my life. I never gave much thought as to what my mortal life was. One night, I heard a knock on my door. Three men dressed in red cloaks asked me if they could come in, for it was a dark and stormy night. I invited them in so that they could keep warm. They seemed like very nice gentlemen, but there was something strange about them. I had heard stories about creatures that could grant someone everlasting life, but I thought it was all just folklore. The way that they looked at me, I could tell that they hadn't eaten in so long. So I told them that if they were who I thought they were, I would allow them to feed from me. They were surprised. I don't know if it was just my generosity or the fact that they came across a man that wasn't riddled with disease. So they drained my blood. However, because they were starving, they had drained so much of me that I was accidentally turned into a vampire." 

"That must've been traumatizing for you to wake up and realize you didn't die but you were turned," said Rhodey. 

"Indeed, it was," Karl continued. "The three of them didn't know what to do or what to make of me. It was frustrating but they also figured that they could use all the help they could get from escaping Louis. So I traveled with them. It was mainly by sea, but nonetheless, I was experiencing so much of the world as it was changing right before my eyes. But alas, our adventure came to a screeching halt. It was sometime in the 1700's. We were on a small boat, the four of us, on a foggy night. We couldn't see where we were going. Suddenly another boat was gaining traction. It hit us pretty hard and before you know it, someone jumped onto our boat. I did everything I could to protect myself but it was no use. The others told me I needed t save myself before Louis could kill me. So I jumped off the boat and that was the last I saw of any of them. When I woke up, I found myself on a beach, wrapped up in seaweed and the sun was blaring down on me. It was burning my skin, so I ran off into the woods to seek shelter. I never found out what Louis did to his former group members. My guess is, he finally extracted his revenge. But it wasn't enough, because I knew about it. So he would go after me next. I spent so many decades on my own, hiding and moving from place to place. It was easier for me to just be by myself, that was what I told myself, until I met Wong."

"You found me at a really strange time in my life that night," said Wong. 

"I think you met all of us at a really strange time in our lives," Christine agreed. 

"So what does Louis look like?" Tony asked. "How can you guys tell that it's him?" 

"I can't forget a face like his," said Karl. "So handsome, but so lethal. Blonde hair, eyes always appeared green to humans, but as you can tell, we can easily change them if we wanted. And, of course, he always wears a red cloak."

Stephen's ears perked up. He remembered seeing a strange man that fit that description almost exactly. He saw a man just like that before he met up with Tony but it couldn't have possibly been the same one, could it have? 

"Does he always wear a red cloak?" Tony asked. 

"It's kind of his calling card," Christine explained. "You know, before he kills his victims." 

"Oh god..." Tony looked like he was going to be sick. "There was a figure in a red cloak outside my window not too long ago...Oh god, oh no. What if he saw me?" 

"Well I think he might have seen me," Stephen said quietly. "Before one of my dates with Tony, a guy with blonde hair, green eyes, and a red jacket asked me for directions. It wasn't the cloak but then there was a flash of red I could've sworn I saw after I left Tony's one night and..." Stephen's face dropped when he realized, "fuck, I've fucked up." 

"Why didn't you say something before?" Karl asked with concern. 

"I didn't think it was actually him. If he wanted to kill me, he would've done it by now, wouldn't he?" 

"Perhaps, but I wish you had said something sooner." 

"Stephen makes a point," Wong defended. "Is he waiting for us to all be in the same room or something? If that's his case, he's setting himself up for failure, I believe." 

"Can we please discuss what you all are going to do to get rid of Louis once and for all?" Rhodey asked. "Do you need for Tony and I to stock up on garlic? Get some holy water?" 

"Where are we going to get holy water at this hour?" Tony asked.

"We haven't exactly come up with a plan on how to get rid of Louis," Christine admitted. "We've always run if he was near." 

"Well, you guys can't run now," said Rhodey. "It's four against one. You have the upper hand on him." 

"He may be older, but he could still fight us all. How do you think we all got here in the first place?" 

"So we know what he looks like, but has he killed anyone yet?" Tony asked. 

"You would've heard about it if there was a murder in this neck of the woods," said Rhodey. "But now that our place is now compromised, we definitely need a plan." 

"Then I think you guys should come stay with us," Stephen suggested.


	18. Boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's about a 60% this story is going to be between 25-30 chapters and I can only hope I'm able to stretch my story out and still complete it without disappointing you guys reading this. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think!!

"You want us to WHAT?" 

Tony couldn't believe what Stephen was proposing. Yes, there was the potential threat that a vampire could break into the condo and kill him and Rhodey, but to go and live with a couple of vampires? Was it really the most sound idea? It wasn't so much that he didn't trust Stephen or Wong, but there were two other vampires involved in this whole thing. What would they do? Where would they go? More importantly, where would he sleep? He wanted to give Stephen the benefit of the doubt that he was looking out for him and Rhodey, but there was some drawbacks to this plan. 

"You want us to stay with you?" Tony repeated himself. 

"Why not?" Stephen shrugged. "Wong and I could protect you if Louis knows where you live. Do you really want to risk another night staying here knowing that he could strike at any moment?" 

"But wouldn't that put you guys at risk?" asked Rhodey. 

"Karl and Christine would be with us," said Wong. 

"But Louis has seen you recently," Tony pointed out. 

"He doesn't know where I live though," Stephen replied. 

"Do you know that for sure?" 

"Like I said, if he knew, he would've come for me by now." 

Tony turned to Rhodey, knowing he would be the most sound of mind. "Rhodey, what do you think?"

"I think if we've got a vampire lurking around our place, we definitely need to hunker down somewhere else," said Rhodey. "So as long as it's not at Howard's. I can't believe I'm saying this, after everything that I've been reading up on, but we might as well take up on your boyfriend's offer."

"My what?" Tony's cheeks reddened. Boyfriend. It was something that Tony imagined calling Stephen since the night they first slept together, but there wasn't a good time for them to have this conversation. He wanted to wait until Stephen's coven reached a decision before he even thought about where they could take their relationship. It wasn't like he had referred to him as his boyfriend with anyone, so the fact that the word "boyfriend" had even been mentioned took Tony by surprise. His eyes shifted to Stephen and it indicated that he definitely picked up on that word. Of course he did. 

"I mean, we'd be more than happy to stay with you if it's not a problem!" Rhodey laughed nervously, tried to cover his slip up. "But what about our friends?" 

"By the time they wake up, they'll have no recollection of the events that transpired with our arrival," Karl explained. "They'll feel a bit lightheaded, but it's a completely normal side-effect." 

"And how often have you had to wipe a memory off of someone?" 

"I've done it a few times with no repercussions as far as I'm aware of." 

"Huh." 

"We really should be going," Christine said quietly. "I believe that we may have overstayed our welcome." 

"I believe we have." Karl smiled politely at Rhodey and Tony. "Gentlemen, thank you. Stephen, Wong, we'll be in touch." 

And just like that, Karl and Christine led themselves out of the condo quietly. It was strange. All of this was just so strange for Tony to wrap his head around. He didn't exactly know just how to feel about all of the information that was thrown at him. He felt frightened for the most part, especially if there was a vampire that was lurking around his neighborhood that could definitely kill him and his friends. But he had protection, which was promising in a way. However, the power that this century plus old vampire had was still left to be questioned. And who could forget the b word? Stephen definitely heard it, there was no denying it and Tony was definitely going to have to talk to him about it later. So there was a lot going on for Tony at the moment.

When Thor and Steve finally woke up, they felt out of sorts. They felt dizzy, like their heads were spinning. Probably a side effect from having their memories partially wiped by vampires. Whatever it was, they weren't feeling so hot and had to head back home. It was actually perfect timing for everyone. After they left, Tony and Rhodey were furiously packing up everything that they could grab. They didn't want to pack up everything that they owned, because that would just be impossible, but they figured that two bags would be sufficient enough for them while they hid out at Stephen and Wong's. As Tony double checked to make sure that he got everything he needed, he took one last look at the place and hoped that this wasn't the last time he'd be in this condo. But this was what needed to be done for the time being.

Tony was rather quiet as Stephen helped him unpack things. It was a combination of it being such a late night, so much that had transpired, and mainly, the b word. The boyfriend subject hadn't been brought up since the slip up from earlier. He wanted to bring it up with Stephen, but he wasn't sure if it was right with all that was going on. After everything was unpacked, Tony sat down on the bed and looked up at his new temporary bedroom.

"Well, this wasn't exactly how I planned on this happening," Stephen sighed as he sat next to Tony. "And I'm sure this wasn't in your wildest dreams, was it?" 

"I was picturing it to be more awkward actually," Tony quipped. 

Stephen chuckled. 

"Stephen, what are we?" Tony asked. 

"What do you mean?" Stephen asked. 

"Didn't you hear what Rhodey referred to you earlier?" 

Stephen paused for a moment. "Yeah. What about it?" 

"It doesn't bother you that my best friend referred to you as my boyfriend even though we haven't formally had this conversation?" 

"I'm not bothered by it at all. I figured that's where it was heading anyway." 

Tony was taken aback by this admission. It surprised him to know that beneath that cold vampire heart, there was some warmth. 

"To be honest, I wanted to say something about where this was going," said Stephen. "But...it's crazy. We both know it's crazy. I think we both want this to work." 

"So do you see me as such?" Tony asked. 

"Only if you see me as such, not as how your friends see me." 

"I do see you as my boyfriend." 

Stephen leaned in and gently pressed his lips on Tony's "Then I do as well."


End file.
